Sports

African countries jostle for 2026 FIFA World Cup slots as qualifiers begin

Published

11 months ago

November 16, 2023

African teams have begun jostling for places in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup, as the qualifiers kicked off on Wednesday with four matches played.

Nine group winners in the African qualifications will qualify automatically for the expanded 48-team tournament which will hold in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In the opening encounters, four matches were played in Butare, Malabo, Kinshasa and El Jadida in what was the opening day of the qualifiers for the quadrennial global tournament, and will set the tone for an expected hectic next few days.

The matches on display were:

Rwanda vs Zimbabwe: 0-0

Zimbabwe played their first competitive match since January 2022 following a FIFA ban and held Rwanda to a 0-0 draw at Stade Huye in Group C which also has Nigeria and Lesotho.

The draw would seem a good one for Nigeria who take on The Crocodiles on Thursday as a win will see them sit at the top of the log with maximum points.

Equitorial Guinea vs Namibia: 1-0

In Group H, Equitorial Guinea managed to pip Namibia6 1-0 with the only goal of the match scored by former Middlesbrough and Birmingham City striker, Emilio Nsue, in the 67th minute separating the two sides in the match played at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo.

DR Congo vs Mauritania: 2-0

Brentford midfielder, Yoane Wissa was on the scoresheet for DR Congo as they began their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mauritania.

Wissa showed the stuff he was made of when he slotted home from 10 yards to put the Leopards ahead in the 62nd minute before Theo Bongonda rounded off a counter-attack with nine minutes remaining to seal a valuable win in the Group B opener at the Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecote in Kinshasa.

Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone: 0-0

Ethiopia and Sierra Leone settled for another goalless draw on the first day of the qualifiers in a Group A tie played in neutral Morocco.

The match, initially scheduled for Addis Ababa, was moved to Morocco due to the conflict in the Horn of Africa nation.

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Sports

South Africa succumbs to New Zealand in T20 World Cup final

Published

5 days ago

October 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

After a fairytale run to the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai, South Africa succumbed to New Zealand who ran out as the surprise champions with a comprehensive 32-run win over the Proteas.

Before coming into the tournament, the White Ferns had lost 10 successive matches and this is their first T20 title, after losing successive finals in 2009 and 2010.

The report of the match played on Sunday, however showed they were on top at the halfway point, but the Proteas started strongly in pursuit of 159 for victory, reaching 51-0 inside seven overs before slipping to 77-5 and then stuttering to 126-9.

“Leg-spinner Melie Kerr finished with 3-24, becoming the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, and seamer Rosemary Mair took 3-25 in an emotional occasion for a team with so little expectation of triumph,” the report said.

“Kerr also added a vital contribution with the bat, scoring 43 from 38 balls in a crucial partnership of 57 with Brooke Halliday to set up the White Ferns’ imposing 158-5.

“In a fluctuating innings, New Zealand dominated the powerplay with 43-1 before South Africa fought back in the middle overs which included a spell of 48 balls without a boundary.

“It is the second year running that South Africa have lost the final as New Zealand put in a complete performance when it mattered the most which resulted in tears of joy for two of the sport’s most experienced campaigners in Suzie Bates and captain Sophie Devine.

“In the first year that the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced equal prize money for it’s men’s and women’s tournaments, New Zealand will take home $2.34 million (£1.75m) with South Africa taking $1.7m (£878,000).”

Sports

South Africa shocks Australia in T20 World Cup semi-finals

Published

1 week ago

October 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The South African women cricket national team caused the biggest upset at the T20 World Cup in Dubai, by eliminating six-time winners, Australia, racing to an emphatic eight-wicket win.

The defending champions also missed out on an eighth final appearance as the Proteas reached their target of 135 with 16 balls to spare with Anneke Bosch striking a sensational unbeaten 74 from 48 balls while captain Laura Wolvaardt added a classy 42 in a second-wicket partnership of 96 that left Australia reeling.

The brilliant run of the South African women was executed by their bowlers who smartly restricted Australia to 134-5 in a curiously underwhelming innings.

Australia paid the price for stuttering in the middle overs, with the run-rate rarely creeping over a run a ball as captain Tahlia McGrath trudged to 27 from 33.

South Africa started the chase confidently with a powerplay of 43-1, comfortably ahead of Australia’s 35-2 at the same stage, before Tazmin Brits’ departure for 15 opened the door for the phenomenal match-winning partnership.

Bosch, whose previous high score in the tournament was 25, crunched eight fours and a six in her match-winning effort, rewarding the faith of the South Africa selectors who kept her at number three, and meant they reached their second successive final after the 2023 edition on home soil.

Reacting to the win, South African cricket writer Firdose Moonda told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We have had an incredible 18 months of sport in South Africa.

“We are a country with very little financial resource, compared to others like Australia for example, and we are a country punching so far above its weight, while being one of the most diverse teams and unifying South Africa.

“Many people survive on hope alone in our country and these women have brought so much hope.”