Ghana, Nigeria and Cape Verde crash in Afcon qualifying

On Tuesday, former champions Ghana and Nigeria, along with World Cup surprise package Cape Verde, suffered defeats in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. In Accra, Ghana led 2-0 before conceding twice in each half to lose 4-2 against Gambia, with Ebrima Colley scoring two goals for the host nation. Nigeria, trailing after 15 minutes against Guinea-Bissau, lost 3-0 to the lower-ranked team.

Cape Verde, who had previously held Spain in their World Cup debut and nearly upset Argentina in the round of 32, was unable to contain Rwanda at home and lost 2-1, as they had only previously reached an Afcon finals 22 years ago. Algeria, who had previously won the competition twice, drew 2-2 with Burundi, forcing a draw in the Group I. In Matchday 2, Morocco, Senegal, and Egypt secured away wins in Group I, with Morocco defeating Lesotho 2-0, Senegal defeating Ethiopia 1-0, and Egypt achieving a 5-0 victory, despite resting star Mohamed Salah due to concerns over the artificial surface in Juba.