2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - Saturday's matches

Champions Nigeria begin the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations title by hosting Congo-Brazzaville in Calabar in one of 11 qualifiers on Saturday.

5 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - the qualifying begins

The group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers begins on Friday as 28 countries chase 15 places at January's finals, hoping to join hosts Morocco.

4 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - GAMBIA - Swansea City sign striker Modou Barrow from Ostersunds

Gambian-born Barrow moved to Sweden as a youngster and scored 10 goals in 19 appearances for Ostersunds last season.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - MOROCCO - Aston Villa's El Ahmadi joins Feyenoord

Transfer deadline dayThe 29-year-old played for the Dutch club between 2008-2012, spending the first half of 2011 on loan at United Arab Emirates side Al Ahli.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - IVORY COAST - WEST HAM SIGN BARCA'S SONG ON LOAN

Alex Song on a season-long loan. - "It was a very hard decision when you have options of a lot of clubs who are playing in the Champions League, but at the end of the day I chose West Ham because I wanted to come to the Premier League."

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - GHANA - Waris join Trabzonspor

The Ghana international, who played at the World Cup in Brazil, spent the second half of last season on loan at French side Valenciennes, where he scored nine goals in 16 games.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - IVORY COAST - Ex-Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou joins Hertha Berlin

Kalou, scored 23 goals in 67 appearances for Ivory Coast - He has proved his class in the Premier League, Champions League and with his national team. 

1 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - TOGO - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - Emmanuel Adebayor

The Tottenham Hotspur striker, 30, refused call-ups for World Cup qualifiers last year following a spat with then coach Didier Six after the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

1 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - Sierra Leone - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW

Sierra Leone move tie with DR Congo to Lubumbashi - because of the ebola outbreak.

31 Aug 2014

2026 WORLD CUP - Final - Facts

Messi and Lamine Jamal 
Messi was just 19 years old when the photo of him with the baby, Lamine Jamal, in the bathtub was taken. Nineteen years later, on 19 July 2026, Messi and Lamine Jamal are competing against each other in the Football World Cup final, with Lamine wearing the No.19 shirt.

 

Best player | Rodri

Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri was named best player of the 2026 World Cup tournament.

 

Best top-scorer | Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé scored 10 goals and is now the men's Football World Cup all-time top scorer with 22 goals. 

 

2026 World Cup | recap

A record 10 African nations have qualified for the newly expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup, marking the continent's greatest achievement to date. Several of these teams progressed beyond the group stage into the knockout rounds, with at least one African team reaching the quarter-finals. This underlines their competitive performance, even though no African nation made it to the semi-finals or final.

From the round of 32, Spain, Argentina, England, and France emerged as the strongest teams, winning through the round of 16 and quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. 

Spain beat France 2:0 and Argentina beat England 2:1 to set up the final. England then beat France 6:4 in the third‑place match, while Spain defeated Argentina 1:0 after extra time in the final to win the 2026 World Cup.

Overall, the African teams showed a strong performance, though not yet title‑winning.

 

 

20 Jul 2026
afrofootball

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