The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers continued on Thursday evening with contrasting outcomes for Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.
Cape Verde leave it late against Mauritius
Cape Verde, still recovering from their failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, narrowly avoided another disappointment with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mauritius.
Despite struggling for much of the match against the side ranked 179th in the world, the Blue Sharks finally broke the deadlock in the 84th minute.
Yannick Semedo, earning just his third cap, produced a moment of brilliance with a stunning lob from outside the box to secure all three points.
The win sees Cape Verde temporarily move one point ahead of Cameroon, who were held to a goalless draw by Eswatini the previous day.
Bubista’s team now face a challenging trip to Angola on Tuesday as they look to maintain their lead at the top of Group D.
CAF World Cup qualifiers – Group D standings
| # | Team | Pts | P | W | D | L | GD | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Verde | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 2 | Cameroon | 9 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| 3 | Libya | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Angola | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | Mauritius | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -4 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Eswatini | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -5 | 1 | 6 |
Guinea-Bissau suffer heavy defeat
In Group A, Guinea-Bissau endured a disappointing night, falling 3-1 to Sierra Leone in a match played in Liberia.
Bundu (19’), Musa Kamara (61’), and Turay (90’+6) found the net for the Leone Stars, while Tamble Monteiro managed to pull one back for Guinea-Bissau in the 68th minute.
With this result, Sierra Leone leapfrogs Guinea-Bissau into second place in Group A.
The Djurtus could slip even further down the standings depending on Burkina Faso’s result against Djibouti on Friday.
CAF World Cup qualifiers – Group A standings
| # | Team | Pts | P | W | D | L | GD | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 2 |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| 3 | Guinea-Bissau | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -1 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Burkina Faso | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | -3 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Djibouti | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -8 | 2 | 10 |
Meanwhile, in Group H, Namibia’s 1-0 victory over Malawi strengthened their position as runners-up behind Tunisia.
The result leaves Liberia four points adrift in third place as the battle for qualification intensifies.
👨🏾🎨 Voici le onze aligné par Bubista pour débuter cette année 2025 ! 🦈❤️ pic.twitter.com/9rHKGAErNQ
— Les Requins Bleus🇨🇻 (@LesRequinsBleus) March 20, 2025
Eis o 11 titular guineense #djurtos pic.twitter.com/eUCFhXmxLS
— Bola na txon 🇬🇼 (@bolanatxon) March 20, 2025
Onze inicial da Serra Leoa #djurtos pic.twitter.com/AIMSGGK482
— Bola na txon 🇬🇼 (@bolanatxon) March 20, 2025
