George Ilenikhena hopes his first goal for Nigeria will be the first of many, after marking his senior international debut with a goal in the Super Eagles' 2-1 win over Madagascar in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Africa Cup of Nations qualifying has begun, with incoming head coaches picking up the reins, teams seeking to maintain their World Cup momentum, and the road to Pamoja 2027 finally beginning.
Carlos Queiroz has left his role as Ghana head coach for the second time in less than three months after the Ghana Football Association announced that the two parties had agreed to mutually terminate his contract on Thursday.
There was something reassuringly familiar about the sight of Herve Renard, crisp formal dress shirt, on the touchline and celebrating an Ivory Coast goal again.
Relebohile Mofokeng was the star of the show for Bafana Bafana as they beat Eritrea 5-0 in a Group D qualifier for AFCON 2027 on Wednesday.
Eric Chelle was handed his first competitive defeat at the helm as Nigeria suffered a decisive setback in the race to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, losing 3-0 to Guinea Bissau on Tuesday.
Nigeria's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign is only one game old, but Tuesday's visit to Guinea-Bissau already feels like a decider.
South Africa face Eritrea in Cairo in a Group D AFCON qualifier on Wednesday as Pitso Mosimane looks to build on a winning start to his return.
Mohamed Salah will sit out Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan in Juba on Tuesday due to concerns about the artificial pitch, according to a statement from the Egyptian Football Association.
Pitso Mosimane's second stint as South Africa head coach started with a 2-1 win over Guinea in Saturday's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at Orlando Stadium.
South Africa kicked off Pitso Mosimane's second stint in charge with a 2-1 win over Guinea at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday in 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.
Moses Simon won his one hundredth cap for Nigerian but debutants George Ilhenikena and Moses Usor were the heroes, bagging a goal each as Nigeria came from behind to beat Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo.
Nigeria begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Madagascar on Friday, with considerably less margin for error than they would normally expect at the start of qualification.
Senegal, surely, must be asking what on earth they have done to receive the misfortune and wretched experiences they've endured since January, when they won, and then lost, the AFCON final.
Patrick Vieira took his first steps into international management on Friday, as his new-look Senegal side began their Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying campaign with a disjointed 1-1 draw against Mozambique in Maputo.
Bafana Bafana will kick off the second Pitso Mosimane era at Orlando Amstel Arena in Saturday's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Guinea.
For Africa's national teams, the first international break of the 2026-27 season represents far more than merely the opening qualifying exchanges for next year's Africa Cup of Nations.
Of all the selection challenges South Africa head coach Pitso Mosimane faces, two -- striker and centre-back -- are particularly difficult, and the upcoming international break gives him a chance to test solutions.
Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of Nigeria's opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, after failing to recover from a muscle injury.
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said Mohammed Kudus' decision to withdraw from Ghana's squad for this 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying window was made to avoid risking a setback in the Tottenham forward's recovery from injury.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Stanley Nwabali are back in the Nigeria squad, with coach Eric Chelle also recalling defenders Ola Aina and Benjamin Fredrick for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Galatasaray have ruled Victor Osimhen out with a groin injury, with the Nigeria striker expected to spend between two and three weeks on the sidelines, ruling him out of the club's UEFA Champions League opener.
With Pitso Mosimane announced as Hugo Broos's successor, several players overlooked by the Belgian in recent times -- understandably in some cases and controversially in others -- may have a clean slate.
| Group A | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 6 |
| Gabon | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Niger | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Lesotho | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Group B | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Egypt | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +5 | 4 |
| Angola | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| Malawi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| South Sudan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 0 |
| Group C | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Ivory Coast | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 6 |
| Gambia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| Somalia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Ghana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 0 |
| Group D | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| South Africa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 6 |
| Guinea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Eritrea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 1 |
| Kenya | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Group E | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Congo DR | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Sierra Leone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| Group F | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Benin | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Burkina Faso | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Mauritania | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Central African Republic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Group G | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Cameroon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| Comoros | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Namibia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Congo | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Group H | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Uganda | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Botswana | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tunisia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Libya | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Group I | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Algeria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| Zambia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Togo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Burundi | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Group J | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Senegal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Mozambique | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
| Sudan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 3 |
| Ethiopia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| Group K | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Rwanda | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| Mali | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| Cape Verde | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Liberia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Group L | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 3 |
| Tanzania | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| Madagascar | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
