Mali seek second straight win as Liberia aim to recover in AFCON 2027 qualifying

Mali will look to build on their impressive opening victory when they face Liberia in Monrovia on Tuesday in the second round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The match will be played at the Complexe sportif Samuel-Kanyon-Doe and will kick off at 19:00 local time in both Mali and Liberia. The game will begin at 21:00 in France.

In Mali, the match is expected to be shown by ORTM. Viewers in France can watch on beIN Sports Max 5, while Canal+ will broadcast the game in sub-Saharan Africa and beIN Sports Mena will be among the broadcasters in North Africa.

The two teams enter the Group K fixture in contrasting situations after the opening round of matches.

Liberia suffered a 3-1 defeat by Rwanda in Kigali, leaving the Lone Stars under early pressure as they continue their attempt to reach the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2002. The result was particularly damaging given that Rwanda were viewed as the most manageable opponents in the group on paper.

Rwanda took control inside two minutes when Abeddy Biramahire opened the scoring. Leroy-Jacques Mickels added a second in the 34th minute before Liberia pulled one back through Sylvanus Nimely four minutes later.

Joy-Lance Mickels restored Rwanda’s two-goal advantage from the penalty spot in the 44th minute, ensuring the home side went into half-time with a 3-1 lead. Liberia were unable to find a way back after the interval.

Mali, by contrast, began Anthony da Silva’s tenure with a notable 3-1 victory over World Cup finalists Cape Verde. Ange Martial Tia scored after five minutes on his first appearance for the national team, although Cape Verde equalised in the 10th minute through Sidny Cabral, whose free-kick took a slight deflection.

The Eagles regained the lead through Nene Dorgeles in the 39th minute, and the Fenerbahce winger completed his double six minutes after half-time. His two goals secured a strong start for Anthony da Silva and put Mali in an early position of strength in the group.

Mali’s squad also includes Mamadou Sangare and Lassine Sinayoko, both of whom started Friday’s match against Cape Verde. Alongside Dorgeles, they are part of a promising generation that will aim to maintain the team’s momentum in Liberia.

A second successive win would give Mali an important early advantage in their bid to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, while Liberia will be seeking a response after their disappointing opening result.