World Cup 2026 qualifiers: African fixtures & previews for round five – BBC.com

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African qualifiers for di 2026 Fifa World Cup go resume dis week afta nine-month break – and di stakes dey high for some big names.
Six rounds of di 10-match group campaign still remain, di two fixtures dis month go go a long way to decide di fate of many teams.
Di nine group winners dey guaranteed a place for di finals for Canada, Mexico and USA.
Di four best second-placed sides get a chance to earn one final spot via play-offs.
Several managerial changes don take place since di last round for June, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia dey among di sides wit new coaches.
Match Day 5 of di qualifiers go end on Friday, 21 March wit a total of 13 fixtures.
Monday, 17 March
Tanzania vs Congo
Wednesday, 19 March
Liberia vs Tunisia
Eswatini vs Cameroon
Central African Republic vs Madagascar
Mozambique vs Uganda
Malawi vs Namibia
Zimbabwe vs Benin
Cape Verde vs Mauritius
Sierra Leone vs Guinea-Bissau
Thursday, 20 March
Libya vs Angola
Gabon vs Seychelles
Gambia vs Kenya
Comoros vs Mali
Friday, 21 March
Equatorial Guinea vs Sao Tomé and Principe
Botswana vs Algeria
Rwanda vs Nigeria
Burkina Faso vs Djibouti
DR Congo vs South Sudan
South Africa vs Lesotho
Togo vs Mauritania
Ghana vs Chad
Burundi vs Cote d'Ivoire
Sudan vs Senegal
Guinea vs Somalia
Ethiopia vs Egypt
Niger vs Morocco
Among di heavyweights of di continent wey no fit afford any mistake na Nigeria – dem get di greatest need for immediate results.
Wit three draws and one loss to dia campaign, Super Eagles go hope to secure dia first win wen dem take on Rwanda wey dey top Group C.
South Africa go play host to Lesotho for di same group, as dem dey eye a vital victory wey fit see dem top di group if di result for Nigeria and Rwanda match go dia way.
Nigeria neva win any match for Group C – dem dey four points behind leaders Rwanda, Eric Chelle dia new coach take a veri high-profile role wey dey amplified by difficult circumstances.
Di former Mali coach become di first non-Nigerian African to take charge of di Super Eagles.
Di West Africans dey travel to Kigali bifor dem go host Zimbabwe – Chelle accept say dis na must-win matches for di three-time African champions.
"Pressure dey for football," im tell BBC Sport Africa.
"I go say time na di coach enemy. But I dey confident and I believe in my players."
Star striker Victor Osimhen say im and im team-mates dey "desperate" to make di finals afta dem miss out on di 2022 edition for Qatar.
Another new boss wey need positive results na Tom Saintfiet, im dey look to revive Mali campaign for Group I afta im take ova from Chelle.
Di Eagles fit cut di four point gap wey di group leaders Comoros get, wen dem travel to face di Islanders.
"We no dey easy position but I get a veri talented group," Saintfiet tell BBC Sport Africa.
"Na big luxury to get so many quality players."
Mali neva qualify for World Cup finals bifor, dem bin go unbeaten through preliminaries for di 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – Saintfiet dey upbeat about dia hopes.
"After six matches wit four wins, two draws, I dey positive," di Belgian add.
"We dey do evritin to write history."
Meanwhile, for Group I, Ghana go look to put dia disastrous Afcon 2025 qualifying campaign behind dem against Chad and Madagascar.
Corentin Martins na di man wey go coach Madagascar while Rigobert Song go face im first games as Central African Republic boss.
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