Tag: 2025 AFCON

The coach of the Amavubi of Rwanda, Thorsten Spittler, has said they achieved the impossible against a star-studded Super Eagles and should be commended for the feat.

The Rwandans came from a goal down to beat Super Eagles 2-1 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Monday and the German said he is thrilled that his players made him happy and was proud of them.

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“I’m happy because we came, we saw, we conquered; it’s almost seen as impossible for any team to beat the Super Eagles, with some of Africa’s best footballers, on their home soil,” Spittler said.

“Check the FIFA rankings; the Super Eagles are ranked around 30^th , while we, Rwanda, are somewhere in the 160″.

“That’s a huge gap, yet we stood our ground and achieved this feat; it’s a big plus for us, and I’m proud of the players.”

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Ibrahim Gusau is confident that  the Super Eagles can turn around their poor 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and pick one of the continental  tickets.

Gusau admitted that the Eagles three points from four matches was not good enough at the moment but he noted that the NFF believes that with the new order in the team and progress they have made in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, the team has what it takes to get the ideal results needed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The former Zamfara FA Chairman said the Super Eagles will not lack support in their quest to qualify for both the 2025 AFCON and the 2026 World Cup.

Gusau also added that the objective of the football house is to see the Eagles emerge victorious at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco for the fourth time having gone so close in Cote ‘d’Ivoire early this year.

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“I have full confident that we are going to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. I know we had a very bad start having got three points from four games but if you look at the momentum now in the Super Eagles you will notice some level of progress,” Gusau stated in an interview with NFF TV.

“Going forward I know that everybody among the players know what it is at stake. We are surely going to do our best to support the team.

“We have just started the 2025 AFCON qualifiers and by the grace of God we shall qualify and it will be our breakthrough to winning the fourth title  for the nation.”

The Super  Eagles that are currently topping Group D with four points from two games, will face Libya in a doubleheader this weekend and  next Tuesday in the  2025 AFCON qualifiers but they are fifth on their Group C log for the  2026 World Cup qualifiers with just three points from four games.

Senegal claimed their first win in Group L of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers yesterday  when they overcame hosts Burundi 1-0 at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The Teranga Lions were frustrated by an opening draw at home to Burkina Faso last Friday – in which they conceded a last-gasp equaliser – but they have put themselves back on track with a victory secured by a second-half penalty from Ismaila Sarr.

The Swallows, meanwhile, are second on the log thanks to their win over Malawi last Thursday. The Stallions and the Flames will meet in Bamako today.

Senegal bossed the first half, but found Burundi’s defence a resilient one: the hosts conceded just three shots on target through the first 45 minutes, with goalkeeper Matteo Nkurunziza able to turn the efforts away.

The West Africans, spearheaded by Sadio Mane and Nicolas Jackson in attack, were again unable to find cohesion and fluidity – with this clash mirroring the frustration they endured through much of their 1-1 draw at home to Burkina Faso last Friday.

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The Swallows made a double change at the start of the second half, introducing Jean Claude Girumugisha and Aruna Madjaliwa, while Senegal waited until just after the hour mark to throw on Habib Diallo and Iliman Ndiaye to boost their attack.

And the visitors’ duly upped the pressure and were rewarded with a penalty which Ismaila Sarr converted in the 71st minute to break the deadlock.

With just a one-goal lead, Senegal surely had worried about a repeat of their mistake against Burkina Faso, but this time their defence held firm to secure an important three-point haul.

The teams will return to Group L action next month, with Burundi and Senegal facing respective double-headers against Burkina Faso and Malawi respectively.

Today CAF decided that the 2025 AFCON in Morocco will now be staged from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026.

Hosts Morocco initially proposed the summer of 2025 for the tournament, but this clashes with the newly-designed FIFA Club World Cup that will attract 32 clubs from around the world.

Read Also: CAF Confederation Cup final set for Morocco amid drama

The draw for the biennial competition will be conducted on July 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The qualifiers for the 2025 AFCON will be completed between September and November 2024.