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West African football powerhouses Ghana and Nigeria were handed humiliating defeats on Tuesday night in the preliminary qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, a chaotic matchday that also saw Cape Verde's World Cup heroics followed by a surprising home loss and several continental heavyweights narrowly avoiding upsets of their own.
Ghana, one of Africa's ten representatives at the most recent World Cup where they reached the round of 32, appeared to be cruising at home in Accra after racing to a two-goal advantage inside the opening 33 minutes. Ernest Nuamah and Felix Afena-Gyan found the net to give the Black Stars what looked like a comfortable cushion over The Gambia, a nation with a population of fewer than three million compared to Ghana's nearly 35 million.
What followed, however, was a complete capitulation. Muhammed Badamosi converted a penalty to begin the comeback, Omar Colley pulled The Gambia level, and substitute Ebrima Colley scored twice to complete a stunning 4-2 victory for the visitors. The dramatic collapse prompted furious Ghanaian supporters to hurl bottles onto the pitch during the closing stages of the match.
The result heaps enormous pressure on veteran head coach Carlos Queiroz, who has now overseen two defeats to begin Group C qualifying after Ghana also lost away to Ivory Coast the previous week. For a nation with such a rich footballing heritage, sitting bottom of the group without a point represents a crisis that will inevitably raise questions about the Portuguese coach's future.
Nigeria's evening was even more concerning from a performance standpoint. The Super Eagles, semifinalists at the last Cup of Nations in January, fielded seven Premier League players in their starting lineup yet were thoroughly outclassed in a 3-0 defeat away in Guinea Bissau. The margin could have been even greater given the hosts' dominance.
Franculino Dju opened the scoring with a curled effort in the first half, captain Mama Balde doubled the advantage in the 66th minute, and Alvaro Djalo added a third in stoppage time. For a Nigerian side boasting such considerable talent, the manner of the defeat will raise serious questions about tactical organization and team cohesion.
Algeria found themselves in serious trouble early in their Group I fixture in Bujumbura, trailing 2-0 to Burundi after just 12 minutes. Under new coach Brahim Hemdani, the Algerians looked set for an embarrassing result before Mohamed Belloumi and Adil Boulbina rescued a share of the spoils.
While the fightback demonstrated commendable resilience, the performance was far from convincing for a side with genuine continental ambitions. Hemdani will need to address the defensive frailties that allowed Burundi to seize such an early advantage.
Cape Verde's remarkable story continued in less positive fashion, as the island nation that captured global attention with its gutsy performances at the World Cup suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Rwanda. Teenager Elie Iradukunda scored the decisive goal as the visitors came from a goal behind in Praia, leaving Cape Verde with two defeats from their opening two Group K matches.
The result serves as a reminder of the punishing nature of African qualifying football, where reputations count for little and smaller nations increasingly fancy their chances against more established opponents.
Elsewhere, the continent's traditional giants largely navigated difficult away assignments successfully. Egypt, who deliberately left Mohamed Salah at home over concerns about the artificial surface in Juba, South Sudan, demonstrated their depth with a comprehensive 5-0 victory in Group B. Omar Marmoush scored twice, while Mostafa Zico, Ibrahim Adel, and teenage forward Hamza Abdelkarim also found the target.
Morocco maintained their strong start in Group A with a 2-0 win over Lesotho, though the match was played in Bloemfontein, South Africa, because Lesotho lacks a stadium meeting international standards. Brahim Diaz capitalized on defensive errors to score just before halftime, and Azzedine Ounahi sealed the victory eight minutes from time, sending Morocco to the top of the group.
Senegal gave new head coach Patrick Vieira his first victory in charge with a hard-fought 1-0 win away in Ethiopia. Ibrahim Mbaye scored the only goal after 11 minutes, latching onto a pass from his Aston Villa teammate Nicolas Jackson. The result followed Senegal's draw in Mozambique the previous week and required the visitors to defend resolutely against determined opposition.
Mozambique moved to the top of Group J on goal difference after a 4-1 demolition of Sudan in Maputo, with striker Chamito scoring twice despite playing his club football in Portugal's third tier.
Cameroon fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against Congo in Brazzaville, while Comoros secured a 1-0 home win over Namibia in Moroni, with Benjaloud Youssef scoring early in the second half.
Zambia, champions in 2012, defeated Togo 2-0 in Ndola in a match that was halted for 20 minutes during the first half due to a power failure. Rodolfo Aloko scored both goals in Benin's 2-1 victory over Mauritania, and debutant Arnold Vula netted the winner as Uganda claimed a 1-0 home triumph over Libya.
On a packed day featuring 17 matches across the continent, Ivory Coast also won 2-0 against Somalia, though they required a dramatic debut from Coventry City's Yann Gboho, who came off the bench to break the deadlock in the final minute before Bazoumana Toure added a second deep into stoppage time. The day's results underscored the increasingly competitive nature of African football, where established powers can no longer take victory for granted against supposedly lesser opponents. For both Ghana and Nigeria, the road to the 2027 tournament — to be cohosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda — already looks considerably more complicated than either nation would have anticipated.
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