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FULL FIXTURES: Egypt, Sudan, Morocco Lead As African World Cup Race Intensifies

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As the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup intensifies, African teams are gearing up for the crucial matchdays 5 and 6 of the qualifiers, set to kick off on Wednesday, March 19.

With nine group winners guaranteed automatic qualification for the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and four best runners-up vying for a playoff spot, every match is set to be decisive.

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Group A: Egypt in Command

Egypt leads Group A with 10 points from four matches, ahead of Guinea-Bissau, who have six points. Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone trail closely with five points each, while Ethiopia (3 points) and Djibouti (1 point) remain at the bottom. Egypt, the most successful African team in World Cup history, will look to extend their lead when they face Ethiopia on March 21.

Group B: Tight Race Between Sudan and Senegal

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Sudan currently tops Group B with 10 points, followed closely by Senegal (8 points) and DR Congo (7 points). With a crucial fixture against reigning African champions Senegal on March 22, Sudan’s head coach remains optimistic. “We have worked hard to reach this point. Every match is like a final now,” he said. Meanwhile, Senegal’s head coach Aliou Cissé is confident his team will fight to reclaim the top spot.

Group C: Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin Tied on Points

Group C remains wide open with Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin all sitting on seven points. Nigeria, a team many expected to dominate, languishes in fifth place with just three points from four matches. Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro admitted his team’s struggles. “We need to be better. The players know the importance of these next games,” he said. Nigeria will face Rwanda on March 21 in a must-win encounter.

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Group D: Cameroon, Libya, and Cape Verde in Close Battle

Cameroon leads Group D with eight points, but Libya and Cape Verde are just one point behind. Angola (6 points) also remains in contention. The Indomitable Lions face Eswatini on March 19 and will then take on Libya on March 25 in a crucial fixture that could decide the group’s fate.

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Group E: Morocco Leads Despite Off-Field Disruptions

Morocco tops Group E with a perfect record of nine points from three games, despite the withdrawal of Eritrea and the suspension of Congo due to government interference. The impact of these developments on qualification rankings remains uncertain. Morocco’s next game is against Niger on March 21.

Group F: Ivory Coast Ahead, Gabon Close Behind

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Ivory Coast leads Group F with 10 points, closely followed by Gabon (9 points). Burundi (7 points) and Kenya (5 points) remain within reach. The Elephants will take on Burundi on March 21 before facing Gambia on March 24.

Group G: Algeria and Mozambique Neck-and-Neck

Algeria and Mozambique are tied at the top with nine points each, while Botswana, Guinea, and Uganda all have six points. Algeria’s upcoming match against Botswana on March 21 could prove decisive.

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READ ALSO: FA Cup Quarter-final: Bournemouth To Host Man City, Fulham To Play Palace [Full Draw]

Group H: Tunisia Eyes Qualification

Tunisia remains undefeated in Group H with 10 points, leading Namibia (8 points) and Liberia (7 points). Tunisia will face Liberia on March 19 before a crucial clash against Malawi on March 24. “We are taking nothing for granted. Every match is important,” Tunisian head coach Jalel Kadri stated.

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Group I: Comoros and Ghana in Strong Positions

Comoros and Ghana both sit on nine points in Group I, with Madagascar (7 points) and Mali (5 points) following closely. Ghana’s next fixture against Chad on March 21 is expected to be a key moment in their qualification campaign.

Best-Ranked Second-Placed Teams

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With only four runner-up teams advancing to a mini-tournament for intercontinental play-offs, Ghana, Gabon, Mozambique, and Senegal currently hold the top spots. Namibia and South Africa remain in contention, hoping for favourable results in the coming games.

Upcoming Fixtures

World Cup matchdays 5 and 6 qualifying fixtures in Africa (times GMT):

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Matchday 5

March 19, Wednesday

Group D: Eswatini v Cameroon; Group H: Liberia v Tunisia; Group I: Central African Republic v Madagascar (all 1600)

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March 20, Thursday

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Group A: Sierra Leone v Guinea-Bissau (1600); Group C: Zimbabwe v Benin (1600); Group D: Cape Verde v Mauritius (1600), Libya v Angola (1900); Group F: Gabon v Seychelles, Gambia v Kenya (both 1900); Group G: Mozambique v Uganda (1300); Group H: Malawi v Namibia (1600); Group I: Comoros v Mali (2100)

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March 21, Friday

Group A: Burkina Faso v Djibouti (1600), Ethiopia v Egypt (2100); Group B: Democratic Republic of Congo v South Sudan (1600); Group C: South Africa v Lesotho (1600), Rwanda v Nigeria (1600); Group E: Niger v Morocco (2130); Group F: Burundi v Ivory Coast (1900); Group G: Botswana v Algeria (1300), Guinea v Somalia (2100); Group H: Equatorial Guinea v Sao Tome e Principe (1300); Group I: Ghana v Chad (1900)

March 22, Saturday

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Group B: Togo v Mauritania (1600), Sudan v Senegal (1900)

Matchday 6

March 23, Sunday

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Group D: Eswatini v Mauritius; Group F: Kenya v Gabon (both 1300)

March 24, Monday

Group A: Guinea-Bissau v Burkina Faso (1600), Ethiopia v Djibouti (2100); Group F: Ivory Coast v Gambia (1900); Group H: Namibia v Equatorial Guinea (1300), Liberia v Sao Tome e Principe (1600), Tunisia v Malawi (2100); Group I: Central African Republic v Mali (1600), Madagascar v Ghana (1900)

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March 25, Tuesday

Group A: Egypt v Sierra Leone (1900); Group B: Sudan v South Sudan (1900), Mauritania v Democratic Republic of Congo (2100); Senegal v Togo (2100); Group C: Benin v South Africa, Nigeria v Zimbabwe, Rwanda v Lesotho (all 1600); Group D: Angola v Cape Verde (1600), Cameroon v Libya (1900); Group E: Morocco v Tanzania (2130); Group F: Burundi v Seychelles (1900); Group G: Botswana v Somalia (1300), Uganda v Guinea (1600), Algeria v Mozambique (2100); Group I: Comoros v Chad (2100).

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Why I’ll Never Advise My Son To Visit Nigeria – Taribo West

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A former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, on Friday, berated the Nigeria Football Federation and Lagos State Government for allegedly abandoning the family of late goalkeeper, Peter Rufai.

Speaking at Rufai’s burial in a video posted by News Central on Friday, the ex-Inter Milan star expressed disappointment over what he described as the neglect of Nigerian football heroes after their death.

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It’s disheartening that you have Lagos State, you have the Nigerian Football Association. They drop the bulk on the family. I felt in my spirit that there is nothing to put your life for. That’s why I say I have to shift back so that I will not implode. It’s grieving.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Ex-Eagles Goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, Is Dead

My mother passed on. I never shed tears. My father passed on in my hands. I never shed tears. When Rufai passed on, I had goose pimples on my body. And every individual I’m speaking to, there were tears rolling down my cheeks. What kind of nation is this?” he said

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The former international recalled similar situations with late football icons such as Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, and Thompson Oliha, stressing that the treatment of ex-players discouraged him from encouraging his children to serve the country through football.

READ ALSO:Ex-Super Eagles Coach, Monday Sinclair, Is Dead

With this kind of example, I will never advise even my son to put his feet for this country. Send me out! Do we have a Football Federation or do we have a Football Association in this Lagos State? That this hero, this soldier, this football evangelist, has to be treated this way in his family.

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“Could you imagine that the family would be crying just to solicit in within our groups to ask for money? That is madness. Look, please let me go. I don’t want to pour my heart,” he stated.

Rufai, fondly called “Dodo Mayana,” was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and the country’s debut at the FIFA World Cup the same year.

He passed away in July 2025.

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CHAN 2024: Top Scorers Ahead Of Quarter-final Fixtures

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Uganda’s Allan Okello and South Africa’s Thabiso Kutumela are currently joint top scorers at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), with three goals each as the tournament heads into the quarter-final stage.

The group stage concluded on Tuesday, with Sudan holding Senegal to a 0-0 draw to finish top of Group D, while Nigeria defeated Congo 2-0.

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Here are the top scorers going into the CHAN quarter-finals:

Allan Okello (Uganda) – 3 goals
Thabiso Kutumela (South Africa) – 3 goals
Abdelrazig Omer (Sudan) – 2 goals
Kaporal (Angola) – 2 goals
Austin Odhiambo (Kenya) – 2 goals
Clement Mzize (Tanzania) – 2 goals
The quarter-final fixtures are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

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Isak Breaks Silence, Insists On Leaving Newcastle; Club Disagree

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Alexander Isak believes his departure from Newcastle is “in the best interests of everyone” after breaking his silence on the saga of the Premier League transfer window amid speculation over a move to Liverpool.

The Swedish international, who was the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League last season, has not featured for the Magpies in pre-season or their opening game of the campaign, a 0-0 draw away at Aston Villa on Saturday.

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Liverpool have reportedly had a £110 million bid ($149 million) rejected for the 25-year-old, with Newcastle holding out for a British transfer record fee of up to £150 million.

Isak released a statement on Tuesday after deciding not to appear at the Professional Footballers’ Association awards event despite being selected in the Premier League 2024/25 team of the year.

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“I’ve kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken. That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn’t reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors,” Isak posted on Instagram.

“The reality is that promises were made and the club has known my position for a long time. To now act as if these issues are only emerging is misleading.

“When promises are broken and trust is lost, the relationship can’t continue. That’s where things are for me right now – and why change is in the best interests of everyone, not just myself.”

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According to reports, Isak had been promised an improved contract only for northeast side Newcastle to hold off due to pressures of meeting financial sustainability rules.

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Newcastle responded with a statement late Tuesday saying that while they were saddened by Isak’s comments, they could yet welcome the 25-year-old back into the squad.

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“We are disappointed to have been alerted to a social media post by Alexander Isak this evening,” the club wrote. “We are clear in response that Alex remains under contract and that no commitment has ever been made by a club official that Alex can leave Newcastle United this summer.

“We want to keep our best players, but we also understand players have their own wishes and we listen to their views.”

The statement added: “This is a proud football club with proud traditions and we strive to retain our family feel. Alex remains part of our family and will be welcomed back when he is ready to rejoin his teammates.”

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Isak has scored 62 goals in 109 appearances since joining from Real Sociedad in 2022, including the winner against Liverpool in the League Cup final earlier this year that ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait to win a domestic trophy.

Liverpool have already spent around £300 million overhauling a squad that romped to the Premier League title last season.

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But they have also recouped over £200 million in sales and are still in the market for attacking options after the departures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez and tragic death of Diogo Jota.

Any deal is unlikely to be done before the two clubs face off in their next Premier League game on Monday at St James’ Park.

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