AFCON
Home is far away for Madagascar in AFCON qualifying
When Madagascar host the Gambia in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday they will play in Moroccan city Casablanca — 8,250 kilometres (5,125 miles) from the Indian Ocean country.
The team is one of 16 teams forced to seek neutral venues for matchday 3 and 4 fixtures because they lack an international-standard stadium.
Madagascar meet Gambia in Group A at the 18,500-seat Larbi Zaouli Stadium. With Tunisia set to win the section, both teams are eyeing second place and the other qualification spot.
Tunisia are alone among the four nations in the mini-league who are able to play at home in a six-round competition that will produce 23 qualifiers to join 2025 hosts Morocco.
Gambia will play in El Jadida, a coastal city 100 kilometres south of Casablanca, and the Comoros have opted for Abidjan, commercial capital of the Ivory Coast.
For African football powerhouses Tunisia, seeking a record extending 22nd consecutive appearance at the biennial AFCON, playing rivals at neutral venues makes qualifying that much easier.
Away to Gambia in El Jadida last month, Tunisia were cheered by hundreds of supporters who travelled with the team or live in Morocco. Gambia, on the other hand, had minimal backing.
Aware of this disparity in the stands, Comoros chose to face Tunisia next Tuesday in the Ivory Coast rather than Morocco. They first meet in Rades near Tunis on Friday.
“Playing Tunisia in Morocco would have been a disadvantage for us,” national football federation president Said Ali Athouman told the Comoran media.
‘Many advantages’
“Tunisian supporters can reach Morocco relatively easily, and they would create the impression that we were playing away twice in a row.
“Hosting Tunisia in Abidjan means we will be playing at a genuine neutral venue,” added the official.
Lesotho, Central African Republic, Benin, Niger, Chad, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Burkina Faso are other countries without suitable stadiums.
Sudan cannot play at home because of a civil war and Kenya are displaced due to stadium renovations for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Among the “homeless”, only Burkina Faso are a top-20 ranked team. Many of the others are lowly ranked, and not being able to play at home makes trying to qualify that much more difficult.
“Playing at home carries many advantages — you lose a lot by not being able to do so,” former Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango told AFP.
“A nation forced to play home matches in other countries hands the advantage to their opponents.”
South Africa-based Onyango said the biggest challenge facing football in Africa was ensuring every country had at least one international-standard stadium.
African governing body CAF recently cited an “uneven surface, poor drainage and inadequate grass cover” for banning the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi from hosting matches involving Ghana.
Apart from pitches, checks by the continental organisation include spectator facilities and changing rooms when determining the status of a venue.
-AFP
Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has praised Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for what he described as a powerful gesture of unity and reconciliation following the royal pardon granted to Senegalese supporters convicted over offences linked to the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a statement released on Saturday, Motsepe expressed deep appreciation on behalf of CAF’s 54 member associations, hailing the Moroccan monarch’s decision as a demonstration of football’s ability to foster peace and solidarity across the continent.
“I would like to express our deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, for granting His Royal Pardon to the Senegalese supporters convicted of offences relating to the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025,” Motsepe stated.
The CAF president said the pardon reflected Morocco’s enduring commitment to African unity and highlighted football’s growing role as a bridge between nations and cultures.
“CAF has consistently emphasised its commitment to utilise football to contribute to uniting our people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.
“The pardon by His Majesty King Mohammed VI is an uplifting and motivating illustration of the power of football to unite and bring our people together in Africa and worldwide.”
Motsepe also revealed that during recent visits to both Morocco and Senegal, he had been struck by the deep historical and cultural bonds shared by the two countries.
“I was amazed and impressed when I was briefed about the historic and extensive ties between the people of Senegal and Morocco,” he added.
The statement further reinforced Morocco’s rising influence within African football, especially after successfully hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and positioning itself as one of Africa’s leading football destinations ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Motsepe also extended CAF’s best wishes to Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing confidence that the continent’s teams would perform strongly on the global stage.
Among the African nations mentioned were Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Former African champions Algeria and Zambia are set for an early showdown after the release of the Group I fixtures for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Algeria host Zambia on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, in what is expected to be one of the headline fixtures of the qualifying campaign, while Togo entertain Burundi in the group’s other opening tie.
The Desert Foxes are favourites to qualify, but Zambia’s growing consistency and Togo’s unpredictability could make the race highly competitive.
Algeria travel to Burundi on Matchday Two before facing Togo in back-to-back encounters across Matchdays Three and Four. Zambia also meet Burundi home and away during the same period.
The potentially decisive fixture comes on March 22, 2027, when Zambia host Algeria in a clash that could determine the final standings.
Group I Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Algeria vs Zambia
- Togo vs Burundi
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Zambia vs Togo
- Burundi vs Algeria
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Algeria vs Togo
- Zambia vs Burundi
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Togo vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Zambia
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Zambia vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Togo
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Togo vs Zambia
- Algeria vs Burundi
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By Kunle Solaja.
African heavyweights Senegal will launch their quest for another Africa Cup of Nations appearance with a home clash against Mozambique in Group J of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The Lions of Teranga, among the continent’s strongest teams in recent years, headline a group that also includes Sudan and Ethiopia.
Senegal host Mozambique on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, while Sudan tackle Ethiopia in the other opening encounter.
Senegal are strong favourites to dominate the group, but Sudan and Mozambique are expected to battle fiercely for qualification points.
The key fixtures may emerge in the double-header between Senegal and Sudan across Matchdays Three and Four, while Mozambique and Ethiopia also face each other home and away.
Senegal travel to Mozambique on Matchday Five before ending their campaign at home against Ethiopia on March 30, 2027.
Group J Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Senegal vs Mozambique
- Sudan vs Ethiopia
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Mozambique vs Sudan
- Ethiopia vs Senegal
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Senegal vs Sudan
- Mozambique vs Ethiopia
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Sudan vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Mozambique
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Mozambique vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Sudan
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Sudan vs Mozambique
- Senegal vs Ethiopia
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