Africa's biggest sides endured a troubled end to the 2023 international sporting calendar as -- for several of the continent's would-be giants -- World Cup qualification got off to a rocky start.
Ivory Coast's winning start to World Cup qualifying continued with a 2-0 victory over the Gambia as they were among five countries who had away success in group matches on Monday.
Nigeria continued their stumbling start to the African 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe, but there were wins for Egypt and Algeria as the continent's top sides flexed their muscles.
Sadio Mane marked his 100th cap for Senegal with two goals as they began their World Cup qualifying campaigning with a comfortable 4-0 home victory over South Sudan on Saturday.
Nigeria had to come from behind to avoid a shock home loss in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying opener against Lesotho.
Ivory Coast enjoyed a goal rout at the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign but fellow African heavyweights Cameroon, Ghana and Tunisia made heavy work of home games against lowly opposition on Friday.
Mohamed Salah scored four times and took his goal tally for Egypt past 50 as they began their World Cup qualifying campaign with an expected victory over tiny Djibouti while Nigeria were held to a shock home draw by Lesotho on Thursday.
With format changes and new faces emerging, Africa's road to the 2026 World Cup is on the go this week. Which teams face an uphill battle to secure the nine spots available to the continent?
Yoane Wissa netted the opening goal to set the Democratic Republic of Congo up for a 2-0 home win over Mauritania on the opening day of African 2026 World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.
Africa's road to the 2026 World Cup begins this week. As ever, there will be no shortage of new faces, many with intriguing futures, as head coaches look to incorporate fresh talent into their squads.
While Nigeria start their new FIFA World Cup qualification campaign without the injured Victor Osimhen, they have the depth to find success, as long as they can let go of the ghosts of qualifications past.
The draw for the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup was made in Abidjan on Thursday ahead of the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The 64-year-old, whose father was born in Ghana, moves over from his role as technical advisor in which he worked with interim coach Otto Addo.
The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations has backed Gianni Infantino ahead of FIFA presidential elections next year.
Augustine Eguavoen has 'stepped down' from his role as Nigeria coach in the wake of failing to qualify the Super Eagles for the World Cup in Qatar.
Egypt have lodged a complaint against Senegal, alleging their team were subjected to racist banners in their World Cup qualifying exit.
While five teams -- Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Cameroon -- will go to Qatar, much of the discussion has focused on who's missed out.
Nigeria gambled everything on qualifying for the World Cup. What now for the Super Eagles after the gamble failed?
Karl Toko Ekambi scored a 124th-minute winner as Cameroon booked their place at the World Cup in Qatar with a 2-1 victory over hosts Algeria.
Nigeria fans stormed the pitch and police had to disperse them with tear gas after their team failed to reach the World Cup after a draw with Ghana.
Morocco qualified for this year's World Cup in Qatar after Azzedine Ounahi netted a double as they overcame first-half injuries to beat DR Congo.
| Group A | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 6 |
| Burkina Faso | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Sierra Leone | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| Ethiopia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 1 |
| Djibouti | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 0 |
| Group B | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Senegal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 4 |
| Sudan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Congo DR | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Togo | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mauritania | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| South Sudan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 1 |
| Group C | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Rwanda | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lesotho | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Benin | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Group D | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Cameroon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
| Cape Verde Islands | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| Libya | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Angola | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mauritius | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 1 |
| Eswatini | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Group E | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Morocco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| Zambia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Niger | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Tanzania | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Congo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| Eritrea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Group F | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Ivory Coast | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +11 | 6 |
| Gabon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| Kenya | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 3 |
| Burundi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Gambia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Seychelles | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -14 | 0 |
| Group G | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Algeria | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 6 |
| Botswana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Guinea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Uganda | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Mozambique | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Somalia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0 |
| Group H | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Tunisia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| Namibia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Malawi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Liberia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 0 |
| Group I | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Comoros Islands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| Mali | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| Madagascar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| Ghana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Central African Republic | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| Chad | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 0 |
