Connect with us

Sports

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Super Falcons star Nnadozie wins best goalkeeper in France

Published

on

Super Falcons of Nigeria goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, has entered the history books as she became the first female African player to win best goalkeeper award in France.

Nnadozie was on Tuesday, named the best goalkeeper in France by the National Union of Professional Footballers.

Nnadozie received recognition for her 2023–24 season-long brilliant performances for Paris FC where she posted regular woman of the match performances.

The Nigerian international won the individual title by defeating a formidable competition that includes Christiane Endler of Olympic Lyon, Katarzyna Kiedrzynek of PSG, Chloe N’Gazi of FC Fleury, and Kinga Szemik of Stade de Reims.

Last month, the 23-year-old also won the title of top goalie in the French D1 Arkema women’s league.

Nnadozie’s exploits in saving penalties have also solidified her place among the world’s top goalkeepers, saving seven penalties, the most by any goalie in Europe.

The Super Falcons keeper has made a name for herself as one of Europe’s top goalkeepers after relocating to France in 2020 and the award is reward for her sterling performances.

Nnadozie took to social media to celebrate the award with a message that said:

“I’m incredibly grateful and humbled by this award. Thanks to the organisers @tropheesunfp for recognizing my efforts and presenting this prestigious award to me.

“A big thanks to @parisfc_feminines , the club president, the entire team staff , the fans and my wonderful teammates.

“Your belief in me and my work is a tremendous source of motivation.

“Receiving this award is truly humbling, and I am immensely thankful for the recognition. Your support means the world to me.

“Can’t thank my family enough for their prayers and support. My naija Giants, Una pikin Dey loyal , big love ❤️🇳🇬.”

Since the beginning of the 2023–24 season, Nnadozie has been the top penalty specialist and has made the most saves from her position among elite goalkeepers in the men’s and women’s top European leagues.

She has made five saves during her team’s run in the Women’s Champions League, and she has two in the league.

Continue Reading

Sports

Tobi Amusan sets world-leading time at Jamaica Athletics Invitational

Published

on

World 100m hurdle record-holder, Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, was the cynosure of all eyes as she stole the show at the maiden Jamaica Athletics Invitational held in Kingston, where she ran a world-leading time of 12.40 seconds to defeat home favorite and reigning world champion, Danielle Williams, who came in second with 12.46, and USA’s Christina Clemens, who finished third in 12.54 seconds.

The 27-year-old Amusan’s impressive display in the Jamaica Invitational marked a significant and brilliant comeback following her recent setback at the Suzhou Diamond League late last month where she was disqualified due to a false start.

With the victory, the Nigerian athlete fondly “Tobi Express” by her fans, has once again claimed the top spot in the world rankings, surpassing American Tonea Marshall, who previously held the world lead with a time of 12.42 seconds in late April.

While reacting to the feat, Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, took to his official X handle to congratulate Amusan whom he called a pace-setter, while wishing she repeats the feat at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

“Tobi, you keep making our country proud. Paris Olympics is around the corner, your performance gives us hope just like others, that Nigeria is set to break a jinx. Keep soaring, we are proud of you,” the Minister wrote.

In another tweet, he said:

“Take your flowers Tobi Amusan, you stormed to an emphatic win in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational, clocking a time of 12.40s (0.9), a World Lead time!

“You defeated World Champion Danielle Williams, who came 2nd in 12.46s, while Christina Clemons was 3rd.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Sports6 hours ago

Super Falcons star Nnadozie wins best goalkeeper in France

Super Falcons of Nigeria goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, has entered the history books as she became the first female African player...

Metro11 hours ago

Chipata youth calls for stronger media protections amid concerns over media independence

Alepha Banda, a programmes officer at the Youth Development Foundation (YDF), says Zambia’s existing laws do not adequately safeguard journalists,...

VenturesNow18 hours ago

Nigeria’s Petroleum Regulator begins bidding round for 12 oil blocks

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has announced the start of the bidding process for 12 oil blocks recently put...

VenturesNow18 hours ago

Ecobank’s $183 million impairment losses highlight hazards in sovereign bonds

Ecobank, a pan-African banking group, has more than doubled its impairment losses on Ghana’s problematic Eurobonds to $183 million, highlighting...

Metro18 hours ago

Nigeria may need to raise supplementary budget to be able pay minimum wage— IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the Nigerian government may need to raise a supplementary budget to be able to...

Politics18 hours ago

Niger’s Prime Minister claims Benin’s oil export blockage breaches accords

Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, has claimed that Benin’s suspension of Niger’s oil shipments, imposed in reaction to...

Tech1 day ago

Cut to undersea cable causes internet disruptions across East, Southern Africa

Internet services across East and Southern Africa have suffered outages following undersea submarine cable cuts on Sunday. According to the...

Culture1 day ago

Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie fires shots at Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Asake in new single ‘Brag’

Ghanaian rapper, Michael Owusu Addo, popularly known as Sarkodie, has sparked a new round of storm after he fired shots...

Sports1 day ago

Tobi Amusan sets world-leading time at Jamaica Athletics Invitational

World 100m hurdle record-holder, Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, was the cynosure of all eyes as she stole the show at...

Metro2 days ago

Aspiring journalist offers insights on media freedom and information access in Zambia

Ireen Mundia, a student journalist, has contributed to the discourse on media freedoms, drawing from her internship experience at Byta...

Trending