A new cycle has begun in Africa as well, following the World Cup, where the continent's most successful teams came from the north — Morocco reached the quarter-finals, while Egypt made it to the round of 16. Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde and Algeria also managed to reach the knockout stage, but were then eliminated in the round of 32. Nigeria opened their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a victory, but much less comfortably than expected. The Super Eagles defeated Madagascar 2:1 (1:1) in front of their home fans after coming from behind, while Senegal were held to a 1:1 draw away to Mozambique in Patrick Vieira's debut as Teranga Lions coach.
Nigeria played their match against Madagascar without the injured Victor Osimhen, and his absence was certainly felt in the final third. The hosts had more possession, applied pressure and created chances, but lacked the decisive finish. They were punished as early as the 16th minute. Following a short corner from Madagascar, Ehsan Kari beat Nigeria's offside trap and headed home from around eight meters to make it 0:1. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali did not react particularly well either, as he was more concerned with protesting and calling for offside than making the save.
The goal put even more pressure on Nigeria, who spent virtually the rest of the first half chasing an equalizer. Relief finally arrived in stoppage time. Alex Iwobi led a counter-attack and produced a brilliant pass for George Ilenikhena, who calmly controlled the ball and found the bottom-left corner to make it 1:1. It was an especially interesting moment given that the 20-year-old Ilenikhena was wearing the number nine shirt, which is most commonly associated with Osimhen in the Nigeria national team. His blonde hair and physical appearance also made him look even more like the Super Eagles' biggest star. Osimhen watched the match from the stands and celebrated his young teammate's goal enthusiastically.
Nigeria continued to attack after the break, before coach Eric Chelle made the move that decided the match. Moses Usor came on for Samuel Chukwueze and, just four minutes later, completed the comeback. The LASK winger received the ball on the right, cut inside, beat two defenders and then fired into the near corner with his left foot to make it 2:1. It was a goal worth three points and an ideal debut for Usor. Nigeria held on to their lead until the final whistle, although they were unable to add a third. The victory was particularly important because the situation in Group L is very specific. Tanzania have already secured their place at the finals as one of the hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, meaning Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau are effectively battling for the remaining qualifying spot for the tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. That is precisely why every dropped point in this group could prove costly. Nigeria will travel to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, with the hosts having beaten Tanzania 2:0 in the opening round.
Unlike Nigeria, Senegal failed to begin their qualifying campaign with a victory. The Teranga Lions were held to a 1:1 draw away to Mozambique in Patrick Vieira's first match in charge of the national team. Senegal took the lead through Aston Villa forward Nicolas Jackson, but the hosts responded in first-half stoppage time through Sporting's Geny Catamo. There were no further changes to the score, meaning Vieira had to settle for a point on his debut. Senegal therefore already find themselves behind Sudan in Group J, after Sudan beat Ethiopia 1:0. Among the other major African sides, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and DR Congo also opened their qualifying campaigns with victories. Ivory Coast beat Ghana 2:0 in the derby of the round, Cameroon defeated Comoros 3:1, while DR Congo overcame Equatorial Guinea 2:0.2027 AFCON QUALIFIERSRound 1FridayTanzania – Guinea-Bissau 0-2 (0-1)/Dju 33, Balde 58/Niger – Lesotho 2-1 (2-0)/Sosah 38, Sako 45 – Motebang 85 pen/Gambia – Somalia 2-1 (1-0)/Colley 18 pen, Badamosi 83 – Nije 72/Malawi – South Sudan 2-1 (1-0)/Adepoju 20, Njawila 64 – Dhata 48/Nigeria – Madagascar 2-1 (1-1)/Ilenikhena 45+1, Usor 65 – Kari 16/Rwanda – Liberia 3-1 (3-1)/Biramahire 2, L.J. Mickels 33, J.L. Mickels 44 pen – Nimely 38/Sudan – Ethiopia 1-0 (0-0)/Eisa 86/Togo – Burundi 1-0 (1-0)/Dermane 17/Algeria – Zambia 3-1 (1-0)/Hadjam 2, Maza 67, Moussa 74 – Sakala 57/Burkina Faso – Benin 1-1 (1-0)/Traore 20 pen – Tosin 68 pen/Egypt – Angola 0-0Mali – Cabo Verde 3-1 (2-1)/Tia 5, Nene 39, 51 – Lopes Cabral 10/Morocco – Gabon 2-0 (1-0)/Mazraoui 36, Rahimi 84/Mozambique – Senegal 1-1 (1-1)/Catamo 45+2 – Jackson 32/Saturday16.00: (1.40) Kenya (4.20) Eritrea (7.75)19.00: (1.85) S.Africa (3.30) Guinea (4.20)***odds are subject to change***