Busy Tuesday wraps up September’s Afcon qualifying

A busy day of action on Tuesday 10 September will wrap up 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying for the month, with no less than 15 matches played across the continent.

The big names in action include reigning Afcon champions Ivory Coast, who will be away to Chad in Yaounde, Cameroon, and chasing a second win in Group G after defeating Zambia 2-0. last Friday.

“Yes, I got restless on the bench, but that doesn't mean I wasn't happy with my team. On the contrary, I was satisfied, because we applied what we had worked on during the week,” said coach Emerse Fae, who needed substitute Jean-Philippe Krasso to score a late brace to secure the win over Chipolopolo.

Heavyweights Nigeria come into their clash away to Group D rivals Rwanda in Kigali full of momentum after an emphatic 3-0 triumph over Benin on Saturday, in which star forwards Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen shared the three goals.

“We have the quality to beat any team, we have the potential,” said stand-in coach Augustine Eguavoen. “When much is expected that’s when we get the performance.”

North African powerhouses Egypt and Algeria will also be chasing their second wins at the start of the qualifiers: the Pharaohs crushed Cape Verde 3-0 in Group C on Friday and will back themselves to claim another three points away to Botswana in Francistown, while the Fennec Foxes face Liberia in Monrovia fresh from a 2-0 home triumph over Equatorial Guinea in Group E.

Egypt do have something of a wrinkle to smooth out after veteran defender Ahmed Hegazi quit their camp after a falling out with new coach Hossam Hassan.

“I was excluded from the Egypt national team camp by the coach, and I did not withdraw or apologise for not continuing,” Hegazi wrote on Twitter.

“Regarding yesterday’s [Friday] match [against Cape Verde], I also did not refuse to play. The argument was a reaction to something said by one of the assistant coaches, in front of everyone. Over 13 years with the national team and having played 100 international matches, I have never acted negatively, and the national team’s best interest has always been my priority.”

Elsewhere, South Africa will face South Sudan for the first time and look for a key win in Group K, having needed an injury-time equaliser from debutant Thalente Mbatha to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Uganda last week.

“We have a point, that is true, and now it’s more [imperative] that we win next Tuesday in South Sudan, that is for sure,” said Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.

Another intriguing clash sees Zimbabwe play in Kampala for a second successive time, hoping to follow up their opening Group J draw against Kenya with a ‘home’ win over heavyweights Cameroon (who only narrowly beat Namibia in Douala in their first match).

“The longer the game, the better we became. It was a good performance, but not a great one. But for me it was a good landing,” said new Warriors coach Michael Nees, who will be taking charge of just his second match when his side faces the Indomitable Lions.

“We created some chances, but our game could be improved. Overall, I am satisfied for the type of play, I think they did well.”

Afcon qualifying fixtures, Tuesday 10 September

Times CAT

15:00: Botswana v Egypt

15:00: Eswatini v Mali

15:00: Mozambique v Guinea-Bissau

15:00: Rwanda v Nigeria

15:00: South Sudan v South Africa

18:00: Gabon v Central African Republic

18:00: Guinea v Tanzania

18:00: Liberia v Algeria

18:00: Namibia v Kenya