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Nigeria, which has been underperforming, and Sudan, which is at a disadvantage, will both be highlighted as the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup get underway with two rounds of matches starting on Wednesday.
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Positioned to secure top spot in Group C and guarantee automatic qualification, a Nigerian squad featuring the previous two African Footballers of the Year—Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman—are currently sitting in fifth place within their group of six teams.
During a qualification process lasting three years, the Super Eagles tied matches against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa but suffered defeat at the hands of Benin as they aimed for their seventh World Cup appearance.
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After coming in second at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Ivory Coast, Nigeria has seen three different managers take charge — local coaches Finidi George and Augustine Eguavoen, followed by Eric Chelle.
After being dismissed from his position due to Mali’s disappointing performance in the early stages of the World Cup, Ivorian-born coach Chelle acknowledges that he faces a “significant challenge,” beginning with matches against Rwanda away and Zimbabwe at home this month.
Equipped with exceptional strikers like Osimhen and Lookman, the coach states, "the essence of football lies in scoring goals, and I prefer an offensive approach."
Positioned as the fifth seed in Group B, Sudan currently leads the group heading into their crucial match against Senegal, who have qualified for the World Cup three times before. This key game will take place in Benghazi as Sudan aims to secure a spot in the finals for the very first time.
The game is taking place in Libya due to the civil war that began in Sudan in April 2023. This conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over 12 million individuals.
AFPSport spotlights five key matchups as the African qualification round progresses to its midpoint.
Ethiopia v Egypt
It seems that attempting to stop Egyptian strikers like Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud Trezeghet from scoring is challenging enough for Ethiopia, but they now have to contend with recently signed Manchester City player Omar Marmoush as well.
In African qualification matches, Salah and Trezeguet stand out as the top scorers with five goals apiece — together accounting for all but one of Egypt’s 11 goals in Group A, where they lead by a margin of four points.
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Even though this match is technically at home for Ethiopia, which is ranked 113 spots lower than Egypt, it will take place in Morocco due to the lack of a FIFA-certified stadium in the East African nation.
Sudan v Senegal
The Ghanaian-born Sudan coach, Kwesi Appiah, has urged his team to envision themselves as global megastars as they aim to extend their two-point advantage over Senegal in Group B.
"Gaze directly at the Senegalese stars and have faith that you are just as capable. A battle is underway in your home country, and you are playing not only for your loved ones but also for your nation," he said to them.
Senegal has access to the services of 32-year-old twice-African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mane, however, they will be without another prominent striker, Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea, because of a hamstring injury.
Rwanda v Nigeria
Although Nigeria holds a ranking 80 spots higher than Rwanda, do not overlook the Wasps, considering their performance during the African Nations Cup qualifiers last year.
In Kigali, Rwanda managed a scoreless tie before causing an upset by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in Uyo. Within just three minutes of the second half, Innocent Nshuti and Jimmy Mutsinzi scored to secure their victory.
Chelle won’t be the sole new addition as a coach. Rwanda chose not to renew German Torsten Spittler’s one-year agreement and instead brought in Algerian Adel Amrouche.
Gambia v Kenya
Benni McCarthy, who previously played for South Africa and served under Erik ten Hag during his time at Manchester United, has taken up the role of Kenya’s new coach with the aim of leading the Harambee Stars to the World Cup.
"The right attitude and commitment from the team members, combined with a readiness to learn and put their best effort forward, could astonish many," states the 47-year-old coach.
The African champions, Ivory Coast, appear poised to secure top spot in Group F. Consequently, for Kenya to realistically vie for the second position and advance to the playoffs, they must secure victories both away against Gambia and at home against Gabon, who currently holds the second place.
Ghana v Chad
Following their failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and a disappointing World Cup defeat against surprise Group I leaders Comoros, Ghana’s coach Otto Addo can’t risk any further setbacks.
Chad serve little purpose and have managed only one goal so far. Several prominent players are refusing to participate in this game because of issues with how it has been organized. Additionally, coach Kevin Nicaise stepped down and was succeeded by Qatari Tahir Zakaria Gardia.
Therefore, it’s challenging to picture Ghana, strengthened by the Premier League triumvirate of Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, and Antoine Semenyo, not managing to win three points in their upcoming match, which will be followed by a more difficult confrontation with Madagascar.