Latest news with #non-NigerianAfrican
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Osimhen inspires Nigeria to first World Cup qualifying win
Victor Osimhen inspired Nigeria to their first win in qualifying for the 2026 Fifa World Cup while Algeria and South Africa moved to the top of their Galatasaray forward netted both goals in Nigeria's 2-0 victory away against Rwanda in Group C, and the Super Eagles are now four points behind South Africa halfway through the Bafana moved to the summit after overcoming a stubborn Lesotho side 2-0 thanks to second-half strikes from Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden DR Congo moved level on points with surprise Group B leaders Sudan as Theo Bongonda's powerful effort secured a 1-0 win over South Sudan after a disjointed display in the nine group winners are assured of a place at the expanded 48-team World Cup finals next Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea registered comfortable wins, with Emilio Nsue scoring for the latter on his return to action following a row over his are five more qualifiers on Friday, with Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Morocco all in action. Returning Osimhen gets Nigeria back on track Nigeria's bid for a place at the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada was in the balance after taking just three points from their first four had been absent through injury from all those games, played across November 2023 and June last year, and had spoken ahead of the crucial trip to Kigali of how "desperate" he and his team-mates are to reach the pressure was also on new boss Eric Chelle, who is the first non-Nigerian African to take charge of the Super Osimhen settled any nerves in the 11th minute when he was left unmarked at the back post to guide in Ademola Lookman's free-kick from the left the striker capitalised on hesitant defending before racing clear and dinking past the onrushing keeper to double the lead in first-half injury moved up to fourth in Group C, behind South Africa, Benin and Rwanda, and will host bottom side Zimbabwe in their next match on Tuesday. Nsue finds net after ban One other talisman who netted on his return to action was Nsue, the top scorer at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations who was then remarkably ruled ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea by to sit out the qualifying campaign for the 2025 Afcon, the 35-year-old was available again following a second request by his national federation to the world governing needed just 14 minutes to net against Sao Tome e Principe and extend his all-time national record to 23 goals for the National striker was then involved in the build-up for the second goal three minutes later which ended with Iban Salvador guiding his shot home after brilliant interplay with Jose Machin inside the Guinea are fifth in Group H, seven points behind leaders Tunisia, having been handed two 3-0 defeats after Nsue appeared and scored in their first two qualifiers. Amoura at the double for Algeria Algeria moved back to the top of Group G, on goal difference ahead of Mozambique, following a 3-1 win against Botswana in a sweltering Gouiri broke the deadlock just before half time with a header which home keeper Goitseone Phoko fumbled over the line, and two smart finishes after the break from Mohamed Amoura gave the North Africans their fourth win in five Faso went second in Group A as former Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore netted twice in their 4-1 win over Tiendrebeogo and Lassina Traore also found the net for the Stallions, who hosted the game in the Moroccan city of El can open up a five-point gap to the West Africans if the Pharaohs beat Ethiopia on Friday night (21:00 GMT). Friday's African World Cup qualifying results and fixtures Burkina Faso 4-1 Djibouti (Group A)Ethiopia v Egypt (Group A, 21:00 GMT)DR Congo 1-0 South Sudan (Group B)South Africa 2-0 Lesotho (Group C)Rwanda 0-2 Nigeria (Group C)Niger v Morocco (Group E, 21:30 GMT)Burundi v Ivory Coast (Group F, 19:00 GMT)Botswana 1-3 Algeria (Group G)Guinea v Somalia (Group G, 21:00 GMT)Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Sao Tome e Principe (Group H)Ghana v Chad (Group I, 19:00 GMT)
Morocco World
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Rwanda vs Nigeria: When, How To Watch & Score Prediction
Rwanda faces Nigeria in a CAF World Cup qualifier today at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali. This game is expected to reshape the battle for the top spot in Group C. Rwanda are one point adrift from group leaders Benin. A win would bring them closer to history, as they aim for their first World Cup. Nigeria, on the other hand, needs a victory to revive their hopes after missing the last tournament in Qatar. Both teams have a history of close games. In five meetings, each side has won once, with three draws. Rwanda won their last game that was officiated by the Moroccan referee Samir Guezzaz. This gives them confidence on their home soil. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rwanda FA (@ferwafa) Nigeria's new coach, Eric Sekou Chelle, leads his first game after months of preparation. He took over in January, becoming the first non-Nigerian African to manage the team. His mission is clear: get Nigeria back on track. The Super Eagles have struggled in qualifiers, with three draws against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Last November, they also lost Benin. They now sit in fifth place, four points behind Rwanda. The Super Eagles will need to fight from start to finish. Rwanda has proven a tough opponent at home. Nigeria's past three visits to Kigali ended in draws. The hosts will not back down, and Chelle's men must match their intensity. Victor Osimhen has spoken about the new coach's demands, saying players must work hard or risk losing their spot. 'He told us, 'No one plays unless they fight for every ball,'' Osimhen said. Captain William Troost-Ekong added, 'We know this is a big job. We are ready. The pressure is a privilege.' Predicted lineup: Rwanda: Ntwari; Niyigena, Mutsinzi, Manzi, Niyomugabo; Sahabo, Bizimana, Rubanguka; Rafael, Nshuti, Mugisha Nigeria: Nwabali; Aina, Troost-Ekong, Bassey, Onyemaechi; Ndidi, Onyedika, Iwobi; Simon, Osimhen, Lookman Score Prediction: Nigeria is in trouble. With no wins in their last four qualifiers, they now face Rwanda in Kigali—a place they've never won. The last three trips were all draws. At the same time, Rwanda is hungry, just one point off the top, and they know this could be their moment to top the group. Nigeria has talent, but a new coach could mean uncertainty. Osimhen and the squad need to fight, but history isn't on their side. Rwanda won't back down at home. Expect a draw or double chance for Rwanda. Rwanda 1-1 Nigeria Tags: nigeriaRwandaSuper EaglesWorld Cup Qualifiers
The Guardian
19-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Road to the 2026 World Cup: how is it shaping up with 48 places at stake?
The road to the 2026 World Cup, an unprecedented 48-team event, is under way. The final tournament, hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, expands to 104 matches across 16 cities. Here is all you need to know about the diverse qualification paths for each confederation, key matches and emerging contenders. Number of spots Eight plus possibly one via intercontinental playoff, up from six in 2022 Format Qualification features five rounds. Initially, 20 lower-ranked teams competed, followed by 36 teams in group stages. The top two from 18 teams in round three will qualify directly. Subsequent rounds determine further qualifiers via group play and playoffs, culminating in inter-confederation playoffs. Latest With the third round under way Japan is on the cusp of becoming the first nation (excluding hosts) to qualify for the World Cup in what will shape up to be a two-year qualification process for AFC teams. A victory against Bahrain in Saitama on Thursday will secure Hajime Moriyasu's side's spot as they currently hold a 10-point lead over third-placed Indonesia in Group C with four games to go. The race for the other qualification spots in Group C is tight, with Australia in second, just one point ahead of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and China. In Group A, Qatar's Almoez Ali is the top scorer across all confederations with 12 goals and the 2022 hosts need a win against North Korea to keep their automatic qualification hopes alive. Group leaders Iran will be on the cusp of qualification if they secure a victory against the United Arab Emirates in Tehran. South Korea, leading Group B and with the most World Cup appearances by an Asian nation (11), can qualify with a win against Oman and at least a point against Jordan, both matches being played at home. Key fixtures during this international break: Iran v UAE, 20 March South Korea v Jordan, 25 March Number of spots Nine plus possibly one via intercontinental playoff, up from five in 2022 Format Qualification features two rounds. First, 53 teams are competing in nine groups, with each group winner qualifying. The four best runners-up will battle in playoffs: two semi-finals and a final. The playoff winner advances to the inter-confederation playoffs. Latest In the first round, Egypt, with a four-point lead in Group A and the healthiest cushion in Caf qualifying, are unbeaten and aim to solidify their qualification bid with matches against Ethiopia and Sierra Leone with Caf's joint-top scorers Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud Trézéguet. Under Pape Thiaw Senegal will seek to close the two-point gap on surprise Group B leaders Sudan in their match on Saturday. Nigeria, winless in Group C, and desperate to qualify after just missing out in 2022, face must-win games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe under their new coach Éric Chelle, the first non-Nigerian African to manage the Super Eagles. Morocco are Africa's highest-ranked team after their fantastic showing in Qatar and with a perfect record in Group E should face an easy route to qualification. The Afcon champions Ivory Coast only have a one-point lead in Group F. Key fixtures during this international break: Niger v Morocco, 21 March Sudan v Senegal, 22 March Number of spots 3+3 (hosts) plus possibly two via an intercontinental playoff, up from four in 2022 Format Qualification features three rounds – the first a playoff for the four lowest-ranked teams. Then, 30 teams compete in six groups, with the top two advancing. The final 12 teams are divided into three groups; group winners qualify directly, and the best two runners-up enter inter-confederation playoffs. Latest With three automatic qualification spots already taken by the host nations, the competition for the remaining three direct places and two playoff opportunities is particularly tight. Honduras and Costa Rica are performing as anticipated, topping Group A and B respectively in the second round. Still, strong starts for Curaçao, who top Group C on goal difference thanks to Concacaf's top goalscorer Rangelo Janga suggest that the path to the World Cup may hold some unexpected twists. No fixtures during this international break, next games in June Number of spots: six plus possibly one via intercontinental playoff, up from four in 2022 Format Conmebol's qualification is a single, gruelling league format. All ten nations play each other home and away. The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup while the seventh-placed team enters the inter-confederation playoffs. Latest With six matchdays remaining, Argentina, leading the table by five points, faces crucial encounters against Uruguay and Brazil. Lionel Messi will miss these matches due to injury but the defending champions only need seven points from their remaining 18 to secure qualification. Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay, currently second, will clash with his native Argentina, aiming to maintain their recent scoring form after a goal drought late last year saw them go four matches without finding the back of the net. Brazil, sitting fifth and also without Neymar, have been inconsistent but will hope the momentum from Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton's recent historic trophy win with Newcastle will provide a boost. While Chile remain in contention for seventh place, Bolivia and Venezuela are the primary contenders for the playoff spot, each seeking a historic World Cup appearance: Bolivia's first since 1994 and Venezuela's inaugural qualification. Key fixtures during this international break: Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Uruguay v Argentina, 20 March Argentina v Brazil, 25 March Number of spots One plus possibly one via intercontinental playoff, up from zero in 2022 Format In the first of three rounds, four lowest-ranked teams compete in a knockout tournament. The winner joins seven top teams in two groups, playing once each. The top two from each group advance to a final knockout round where the winner qualifies directly, and the runner-up enters inter-confederation playoffs. Latest Oceania's historic guaranteed World Cup spot will be decided in crucial matches with New Caledonia facing Tahiti, and New Zealand playing Fiji in the semi-finals. New Zealand, favoured due to their experience and ranking, topped Group B with a perfect record, while New Caledonia led Group A with two wins and a draw. Fiji will be without their captain and all-time top scorer, Roy Krishna, who misses out after succumbing to injury with Indian club side, Odisha. Rob Sherman's side, made up of amateur players who work as police officers and construction workers, face the daunting task of keeping out the in-form Chris Wood for New Zealand. Key fixtures during this international break: New Caledonia v Tahiti, semi-final, 21 March New Zealand v Fiji, semi-final, 21 March Final, 24 March Number of spots 16, up from 13 in 2022 Format Fifty-four teams are divided into 12 groups for the first round, playing home and away. Group winners qualify directly while the second round features 12 runners-up and four top Nations League group winners who missed direct qualification. These 16 teams are split into four playoff paths, each with semi-finals and a final, with the four final winners securing qualification. Latest The first round group stage begins during this international break, with Thomas Tuchel getting his first taste as England head coach in Group K, facing Albania and Latvia in the initial fixtures. The group stage, which continues up until November 2025, sees staggered starts, with five-team groups, like England's, beginning this month while four-team groups, involving Nations League quarter-finalists, start later in September. Wales face Kazakhstan, Scotland play Belarus and Greece in their early matches, while Northern Ireland await their start. Elsewhere, Liechtenstein, one of the smallest countries aiming for a spot at the 2026 World Cup, will hope for an upset in a tough group with Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia and Kazakhstan. Key fixtures during this international break: England v Albania, 21 March Wales v Kazakhstan, 22 March Poland v Malta, 24 March The final two spots will be decided through an inter-confederation playoff tournament which will take place in one of the host countries in March 2026. This six-team single-elimination event will include one team each from the AFC, Caf, Conmebol and OFC, along with two teams from Concacaf (the host confederation receives an additional entry). The format of the playoffs sees the six teams ranked based on their Fifa world ranking. The four lowest-ranked teams will compete in two semi-final matches, while the two highest-ranked teams will receive a bye directly to the finals. Winners of the two semi-finals will then face the two seeded teams in the finals, and the winners of these two final matches will secure the last two places at the 2026 World Cup.
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.
