Category: Football Africa

Al Masry beat Kaizer Chiefs to signal strong intents
by Football Sierra Leone

Al Masry beat Kaizer Chiefs to signal strong intents

Al Masry defeated Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 in their 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup Group D match at the Suez Stadium on Sunday.

This win marks a strong start for coach Nabil Kouki’s team, who now look forward to facing Zesco United in Zambia on November 30.

Kaizer Chiefs, led by co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze, were disappointed after conceding a late goal.

Despite struggling early on, with goalkeeper Brandon Petersen making crucial saves, they improved and equalised in the 66th minute through Dillan Solomons.

However, a failure to clear a corner in the 87th minute allowed Mohamed Hashem to score, securing the victory for Al Masry.

Elsewhere, Olympique de Safi and USM Alger both won their first matches in Group A.

Safi had a strong performance, securing a 1–0 victory away at Djoliba. Salaheddine Errahouli scored the only goal in the 29th minute. The Moroccans defended well under pressure in the second half to secure the win.

In Algiers, USM Alger won a thrilling match against San Pedro, finishing 3–2.

Houssem Ghacha, Adem Alilet, and Saadi Radouani scored for USM Alger. San Pedro responded with goals from Dramane Kamagate and Mouhammadou Karamoko.

Petro Atlético top Group D with a win over Simba  in Tanzania
by Football Sierra Leone

Petro Atlético top Group D with a win over Simba  in Tanzania

On Sunday, Simba SC from Tanzania lost 1-0 at home to Petro de Luanda from Angola in a Group D match. Bernardo Dias scored the only goal in the 78th minute.

Petro Atlético secured the only away victory on Matchday 1, defeating Simba 1–0 in Dar es Salaam with a late goal from Benny, who finished calmly after a build-up involving Tiago Reis.

In another match, Esperance and Stade Malien played to a 0–0 draw in Tunis, positioning Petro Atlético as the early leaders in Group D.

Matchday 1 Results – Group D

• Simba 0–1 Petro Atlético

• Esperance 0–0 Stade Malien

Standings – Group D

  1. Petro Atlético – 3 pts
  2. Esperance – 1 pt
  3. Stade Malien – 1 pt
  4. Simba – 0 pts

Next Fixtures 

• Petro Atlético vs Esperance

• Power Dynamos vs Pyramids 

Pyramids, Al Ahly, Young Africans and Sundowns register wins in CAF Champions League
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Pyramids, Al Ahly, Young Africans and Sundowns register wins in CAF Champions League

The group stages of the 2025/26 Caf Champions League kicked off with an exciting slate of matches, showcasing dominant performances from some of the biggest clubs.

In Group A, reigning champions Pyramids made a statement by defeating Nigeria’s Rivers United 3-0 in Cairo, thanks to a stunning hat trick from Ahmed Atef El Sayed.

Meanwhile, Caf Confederation Cup winners RS Berkane matched that scoreline against Zambia’s Power Dynamos, who had previously knocked out Vipers. Goals from Aaron Katebe, a clinical finish by Mounir Chouiar, and Paul Bassène’s second-half penalty sealed the victory for the Moroccans.

Over in Group B, record champions Al Ahly put on a show with a commanding 4-1 win against JS Kabylie in Cairo. Trezeguet found the net twice, Mohamed Sherif added another, and a late own goal from Kabylie capped off a convincing performance.

Tanzania’s Young Africans also got off to a solid start, clinching a 1-0 win over FAR Rabat in Zanzibar, courtesy of a sharp second-half finish from Prince Dube.

Group C saw wins for both Sundowns and Al Hilal. Sundowns triumphed 3-1 over DR Congo’s St. Eloi Lupopo, with Nuno Santos netting a brace and Marcello Allende adding another goal.

Al Hilal secured a gritty 2-1 victory against MC Alger in Kigali, with goals from Abdelrazek Omar and Mohamed Abdelrahman (“Al Gharbal”), even after finishing the match with 10 men.

In contrast, Simba faced a tough home loss, going down 1-0 to Angola’s Petro Atletico, with the lone goal scored by Benny. In the same group, Tunisia’s Esperance could only manage a draw against Mali’s Stade Malien in Tunis.

With match day two on the horizon, the excitement of the competition is set to continue next weekend.

  • Simba 0-1 Petro Atletico
  • RS Berkane 3-0 Power Dynamos
  • Pyramids 3-0 Rivers United
  • Al Ahly 4-1 JS Kabylie
  • Esperance 0-0 Stade de Malien
  • Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 St. Eloi Lupopo
  • Young Africans 1-0 FAR Rabat
  • Al Hilal Omdurman 2-1 MC Alger
DRC 2026 World Cup Continental playoffs opponents confirmed
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

DR Congo’s 2026 World Cup Continental playoffs opponents confirmed

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has automatically qualified for one of the two finals in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament, according their FIFA rankings.

DR Congo has been placed in the final of the first bracket and New Caledonia will face Jamaica in the Pathway 1 semi-final. The Pathway 2 semi-final features Bolivia against Suriname. The winners will compete against the Congo DR and Iraq, respectively.

During the recent international break, DR Congo achieved two victories that secured its spot in this inter-confederation tournament. The nation finished second in Group B of the African qualifying round, behind Senegal.

As one of the top four second-placed teams in the group stage, the Leopards entered the continental play-off alongside Nigeria, Gabon, and Cameroon.

In the semi-final of this play-off, held in Morocco on Thursday, the Leopards faced Cameroon and won 1-0 with a last-minute goal from Chancel Mbemba, who scored in stoppage time.

DR Congo is now set to compete against Nigeria in the play-off final, with a chance to enter the FIFA Play-Off Tournament and potentially the World Cup at stake.

After a tense match that ended in a 1-1 draw following extra time, the winner was determined by penalties. DR Congo emerged victorious, allowing their qualification journey to continue.

The FIFA Play-Off Tournament is scheduled for March 2026 in Mexico, which is co-hosting the World Cup along with Canada and the USA. The tournament will allocate two spots for CONCACAF teams, one for a CONMEBOL team, one for an OFC team, one for a CAF team, and one for an AFC team.

This tournament will feature two brackets, with one seeded team in each bracket based on the FIFA Men’s Rankings.

These seeded teams will automatically advance to the finals, while the remaining four teams will compete in one semi-final per bracket, with the winners moving on to the finals. Ultimately, two teams will qualify for the World Cup from this tournament.

Yassine Bounou named Africa’s Goalkeeper of the Year
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Yassine Bounou named Africa’s Goalkeeper of the Year

Morocco's Yassine Bounou has been awarded the title of Goalkeeper of the Year in Africa for 2025, marking the second time in his career he has earned this esteemed recognition.

The award was presented during the CAF Awards ceremony held on Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco. Legendary former Egypt national team goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary had the honour of presenting the award to Bounou on stage.

The Al Hilal keepr outshone two other contenders for the accolade: Munir Mohamedi (RS Berkane – Morocco) and Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns – South Africa).

Previously, secured the Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2023 and successfully reclaimed it this year from Williams, who had taken home the title last year.

This latest achievement solidifies Bounou’s place among the continent’s top goalkeepers over the past decade.