Latest news with #Saintfiet
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fifa Africa World Cup qualifiers fixtures
African qualifiers for di 2026 Fifa World Cup go resume dis week afta nine-month break - and di stakes dey high for some big names. Six rounds of di10-match group campaign still remain, di two fixtures dis month go, go a long way to decide di fate of many teams. Di nine group winners dey guaranteed a place for di finals for Canada, Mexico and USA. Di four best second-placed sides get a chance to earn one final spot via play-offs. Several managerial changes don take place since di last round for June, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia dey among di sides wit new coaches. Match Day 5 of di qualifiers go end on Friday, 21 March wit a total of 13 fixtures. World Cup qualifiers fixtures - Match Day 5 Monday, 17 March Tanzania vs Congo Wednesday, 19 March Liberia vs Tunisia Eswatini vs Cameroon Central African Republic vs Madagascar Mozambique vs Uganda Malawi vs Namibia Zimbabwe vs Benin Cape Verde vs Mauritius Sierra Leone vs Guinea-Bissau Thursday, 20 March Libya vs Angola Gabon vs Seychelles Gambia vs Kenya Comoros vs Mali Friday, 21 March Equatorial Guinea vs Sao Tomé and Principe Botswana vs Algeria Rwanda vs Nigeria Burkina Faso vs Djibouti DR Congo vs South Sudan South Africa vs Lesotho Togo vs Mauritania Ghana vs Chad Burundi vs Cote d'Ivoire Sudan vs Senegal Guinea vs Somalia Ethiopia vs Egypt Niger vs Morocco No room for error Among di heavyweights of di continent we no fit afford any mistake na Nigeria, dem get di greatest need for immediate results. Wit three draws and one loss to dia campaign, Super Eagles go hope to securing dia first win wen dem take on Rwanda wey dey top Group C. South Africa play host to Lesotho for di same group, as dem dey eye a vital victory wey fit see dem top the group if di result for Nigeria and Rwanda match go dia way. Nigeria neva win any match for Group C, dem dey four points behind leaders Rwanda, Eric Chelle dia new coach take a very high-profile role wey dey amplified by difficult circumstances. Di former Mali coach become di first non-Nigerian African to take charge of di Super Eagles. Di West Africans dey travel to Kigali bifor dem go host Zimbabwe, Chelle accept say dis na must-win matches for di three-time African champions. "Pressure dey for football," im tell BBC Sport Africa. "I go say time na di coach enemy. But I dey confident and I believe in my players." Star striker Victor Osimhen say him and im team-mates dey "desperate" to make the finals afta dem miss out on di 2022 edition for Qatar. Saintfiet hope to make history wit Mali Another new boss wey need positive results na Tom Saintfiet, im dey look to revive Mali campaign for Group I afta im take ova from Chelle. Di Eagles fit cut di four point gap wey di group leaders Comoros get, wen dem travel to face di Islanders. "We no dey an easy position but I get a very talented group," Saintfiet tell BBC Sport Africa. "Na big luxury to get so many quality players." Mali neva qualify for World Cup finals bifor, dem bin go unbeaten through preliminaries for di 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), Saintfiet dey upbeat about dia hopes. "After six matches wit four wins, two draws, I dey positive," di Belgian add. "We dey do eviritin to write history." Meanwhile for Group I, Ghana go look to put dia disastrous Afcon 2025 qualifying campaign behind dem against Chad and Madagascar. Corentin Martins na di man wey go dey di dugout for di latter, while Rigobert Song go face im first games as Central African Republic boss.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
What is in store as Africa's 2026 World Cup qualifying resumes?
African qualifiers for the 2026 Fifa World Cup resume this week after a nine-month hiatus - and the stakes are high for some big rounds of the 10-match group campaign remain, and the two fixtures this month will go a long way to deciding the fate of many nine group winners are assured of a place at the finals in Canada, Mexico and the four best second-placed sides will have a chance to earn one final spot via play-offs.A raft of managerial changes have occurred since the last round in June, with Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia among the sides with new what should fans look out for? No room for error Among the heavyweights of the continental game it is Nigeria who have the greatest need for immediate in Group C, and languishing four points behind leaders Rwanda, Eric Chelle assumes an already high-profile role which is amplified by difficult former Mali coach becomes the first non-Nigerian African to take charge of the Super West Africans travel to Kigali before hosting Zimbabwe, and Chelle accepts they are must-win encounters for the three-time African champions."There is pressure in football," he told BBC Sport Africa."I say time is the enemy of the coach. But I'm confident and I believe in my players."Star striker Victor Osimhen says he and his team-mates are "desperate" to make the finals after missing out on the 2022 edition in Qatar. Saintfiet aims to harness Mali talent Another new boss needing positive returns is Tom Saintfiet, who looks to revive Mali's campaign in Group I after succeeding four-point gap to group leaders Comoros can be cut straight away as the Eagles travel to face the islanders."We are not in an easy position but I have a very talented group," Saintfiet told BBC Sport Africa."It's a big luxury to have so many quality players."Mali have never reached the World Cup finals and, after going unbeaten through preliminaries for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), Saintfiet is upbeat about their hopes."After six matches with four wins, two draws, I'm quite positive," the Belgian added."We going to try everything to write history."Elsewhere in Group I, Ghana will look to put their disastrous Afcon 2025 qualifying campaign behind them against Chad and Martins is now in the dugout for the latter, while Rigobert Song faces his first games as Central African Republic boss. Teranga Lions tackle surprise package Sudan Senegal boss Pape Thiaw is another man inheriting a World Cup bid after succeeding Aliou Cisse, to whom he was an assistant, last West Africans ended Afcon 2025 qualifying unbeaten and former striker El Hadji Diouf has been impressed by the smooth transition in the Teranga Lions hotseat."Pape was there when Aliou was here so we [have] good continuity," Diouf told BBC Sport Africa."Senegal is a family and we have a wonderful group. We have to work together and be happy all together."The former continental champions are two points behind surprise Group B leaders Sudan and Thiaw will be without injured Premier League forwards Nicolas Jackson and Iliman Ndiaye for their away game against the Sudanese, which will be played in the neutral Libyan city of Benghazi, and the subsequent home tie against Sudan boss Kwasi Appiah, who has relied on the power of psychology, continue his team's remarkable run amid ongoing conflict in the country? Pharaohs in command Egypt have the healthiest lead of any side, with a four-point cushion at the summit of Group captain Mohamed Salah was rested during the latter stages of the Afcon 2025 qualifying campaign, but the forward will hope to carry his rich vein of form with Liverpool into games against Ethiopia and Sierra will come up against new Leone Stars head coach Mohammed Kallon, and the former Inter Milan and Monaco striker has selected Manchester City's new teenage defender Juma Bah and 40-year-old Kei Kamara in his first Sami Trabelsi is back for a second stint in charge of Tunisia with the Carthage Eagles top of Group H by two continental champions Ivory Coast have a one-point advantage in Group F, while new Kenya coach Benni McCarthy is targeting a first-ever World Cup qualification as he looks to reduce the five-point gap to the Group D, Cameroon are just one point ahead of Cape Verde and Libya, who last week appointed Aliou Cisse as their new Indomitable Lions are looking to add to their eight World Cup things stand, the closest group to call is Group G, where the top five sides are separated by just three Petkovic comfortably guided Algeria to qualification for Afcon 2025 but Les Verts face Mozambique and Botswana, two more teams who will be in Morocco in and Afcon 2027 co-hosts Uganda are also poised to capitalise on any slip ups. Congo suspension throws up questions Africa's top-ranked side Morocco have the only 100% record remaining, but the picture in Group E is withdrew before qualifiers kicked off and last month Congo-Brazzaville were suspended from international football by world governing body Red Devils' ties in March against Tanzania and Zambia have been cancelled, and there is little room to rearrange games in a packed international calendar, even if they somehow succeed in overturning their eyes are now on Fifa and the Confederation of African Football for a decision on how teams finishing second in their group will be ranked heading into potential Congo-Brazzaville drop out as well, then things become even more complicated and every game takes on extra meaning.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Saintfiet aims to 'write World Cup history' with Mali
Tom Saintfiet hopes to "write history" with Mali as he aims to revive the nation's hopes of reaching the 2026 Fifa World Eagles, who have never appeared at the tournament, are currently fourth in Group I, four points behind both leaders Comoros and second-placed Ghana after four rounds of the 10-game qualifying the group winners are assured of qualification but Saintfiet, who took charge last August, has an immediate chance to improve fortunes as his side take on Comoros in Moroni on 20 March before another away match four days later against a Central African Republic team now under the guidance of Cameroon legend Rigobert Song."My dream and ambition as a coach is always to go to the World Cup," the 51-year-old Belgian told BBC Sport Africa when discussing the six-team group that also includes Chad and Madagascar."We are really not in a good position right now, but I still think we can do it."We are going to try to win all six games and see what it brings, and to qualify for the World Cup." A talented Mali side came close to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, but lost to Tunisia 1-0 on aggregate in a was the only goal the Eagles conceded over what was an eight-game campaign for the finals in replaced Eric Chelle, Saintfiet has already overseen an unbeaten qualifying campaign for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which begins in December in comfortably won their group ahead of Mozambique, dropping just four points across six games."When I came the atmosphere was not so good, because the World Cup qualifiers were a little bit [messed] up," Saintfiet outlined."That's not what Mali was looking for. So I had to change fortunes very quick."But after six matches with four wins, two draws, I'm quite positive that we are on the right track." 'Quality players' in squad Mali were seconds away from reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 Afcon before conceding a late equaliser against tournament hosts Ivory Coast, who then scored again deep into extra time to eliminate their West African top talents such as Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma, RB Salzburg winger Nene Dorgeles and Auxerre striker Lassine Sinayoko at his disposal, Saintfiet says his main challenge is to build a cohesive starting XI."It's a big luxury to have so many quality players," said the man who led The Gambia to the quarter-finals of Afcon on the nation's debut in 2022."I have so much choice for all positions, so many alternatives."It's not selecting the best players, it's selecting the best team. That's now the task."We are going to try everything in the coming six qualifiers - two at home, four away - to write history."After this month's fixtures, the final four group games will be split across September and four best-ranked second-placed sides across all 10 groups will then enter play-offs which will provide one African team with a final chance to book a spot at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA via an intercontinental qualifier.
CAF
31-01-2025
- Sport
- CAF
Mali Coach Tom Saintfiet: "We want to play seven matches at AFCON 2025"
Mali head coach Tom Saintfiet has set his sights on a deep run at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, insisting that his team's ambition is to reach at least the semi-finals. Speaking after the group stage draw in Rabat, the Belgian tactician expressed satisfaction with the Group A draw, which sees Mali face hosts Morocco, Zambia, and Comoros. While acknowledging the challenge ahead, Saintfiet remains confident that the Eagles can compete at the highest level. Mali, who will be making their 14th AFCON appearance, were drawn in a group that features Morocco, a team that made history as the first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022, along with Zambia, the 2012 champions, and Comoros, a rising force in African football. Despite the competition, Saintfiet is optimistic about his team's chances. 'I think we can be happy with the draw. Being in a group with Morocco, Comoros, and Zambia gives us opportunities,' he said. Playing against the host nation will be a major challenge, but for the former Gambia coach, it is also an exciting prospect. "Facing Morocco in Morocco is a big occasion. Every player and coach dreams of playing such a match. It will be very competitive, and we are looking forward to it," he added. While Saintfiet exudes confidence, he remains cautious, acknowledging the unpredictability of African football. 'All the teams at this AFCON are strong. There are no easy matches in African football anymore. We've seen surprises in recent editions, with teams like Madagascar, Gambia, Comoros, Mauritania, and Namibia proving their worth,' he explained. For Mali, who have yet to win an AFCON title, the goal is clear: break into the final for the first time since 1972. Saintfiet made his ambitions clear—Mali is not just looking to participate; they are aiming for a deep run in the tournament. 'We want to stay in this tournament until the end. That means playing seven matches, which means reaching at least the semi-finals," he stated. He is also aware of the intense competition, highlighting the presence of African heavyweights such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria, along with other strong teams like Burkina Faso, DR Congo, and South Africa. 'There are at least 10 to 12 teams that believe they can reach the final. We know Morocco are the favourites, but we also have teams like Algeria, Senegal, and Nigeria who are very strong,' he noted. Saintfiet stressed that proper preparation will be crucial for Mali's chances, calling for commitment from players, the coaching staff, the football federation, and the government. 'The players must stay focused, and they must be well-prepared by us as coaches, the federation, and the government to ensure we are ready for these matches,' he concluded. Saintfiet, who led Gambia to a historic quarter-final finish at AFCON 2021, is now tasked with guiding Mali to a new milestone. The Eagles have reached the semi-finals four times (2002, 2004, 2012, and 2013) but are still chasing their first-ever AFCON trophy. With a solid squad and a determined coach, Mali will be looking to make history in Morocco.
