KAMPALA: Continental heavyweights Nigeria will be hoping to put their stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on track when they confront Benin at the Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast tonight. The Super Eagles are winless after three outings, having drawn all their matches todate against minnows Lesotho, paper weights Zimbabwe and lately fellow former African champions South Africa.
Super Eagles coach Finidi George has seen his three time African champions struggle for goals throughout the campaign despite a vast array of high profile strikers at his disposal. Last February’s Africa Cup of Nations losing finalists lie fifth in group C of the CAF zone qualifiers with three points, two behinds leaders Lesotho who underlined their burgeoning reputation by ambushing Zimbabwe 2-0.
Nigeria clearly missed reigning African footballer of the year Victor Osimhen in last Friday’s 1-1 draw with Bafana Bafana and the Napoli striker’s injury status remains undecided. George could start AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze along with Atalanta hot shot Ademola Lookman and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface upfront as he seeks to improve on a paltry return of just three goals in over 270 minutes of action.
Hugo Broos’ South Africa will once again be banking on Mamelodi Sundowns’ large Bafana Bafana contingent when they host Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium in Bloomfontein tonight. The 1996 African champions have no room for error as they try to overhaul a Lesotho side that can maintain pole position in group C if they successfully negotiate their own tricky encounter against Rwanda’s Amavubi Stars at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa tomorrow.
Uganda Cranes manager Paul Put will instruct his charges to forget their poor direct head to head record against Algeria when they host the Desert Foxes at the Mandela National Stadium in suburban Kampala tonight. The Cranes are riding a crest after seeing off the spirited challenge of Botswana 1-0 last Friday to join the Desert Foxes atop group G standings, level on six points along with Guinea Conakry and Mozambique.
Put could ring the changes as he tries to gain attacking traction from the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations losing finalists who were singularly pedestrian in the opening stanza before bursting into life after the breather. Second half substitutes Denis Omedi, Rogers Mato, Bobosi Byaruhanga and Mohamed Shaban, who netted Friday’s winner, are all pushing for starting slots.
Elsewhere, Africa’s top ranked side Morocco can stamp their authority on group E when they face winless Congo Brazzaville on Tuesday, June 11. Walid Regragui’s Atlas Lions became Africa’s first ever World Cup semifinalists at Qatar 2022 and are in pole position to qualify for USA 2026 after gaining maximum points from their two matches to date. Zambia host Tanzania in the other group E match.
Africa’s second highest ranked side, Senegal, were without injured striking duo Sadio Mane and Nicholas Jackson but they lead group B after eclipsing Mauritania 1-0 courtesy of a Habib Diallo strike. Sudan Khartoum can recapture group leadership if they overcome neighbours South Sudan in Juba tomorrow.
TODAY
Uganda v Algeria,
Benin v Nigeria,
South Africa v Zimbabwe,
Guinea Bissau v Egypt,
Burkina Faso v Sierra Leone,
Eq Guinea v Malawi,
Ghana v Central African Rep,
Guinea v Mozambique,
Somalia v Botswana
TOMORROW
Lesotho v Rwanda,
South Sudan v Sudan,
Cape Verde v Libya,
Angola v Cameroon,
Mauritius v Eswatini,
Zambia v Tanzania,
Congo v Morocco,
Madagascar v Mali,
Chad v Comoros