Collated Africa Cup of Nations results in Morocco on Monday: Group A In Casablanca Mali 1 (Sinayoko 61) Zambia 1 (Daka 90+2) Played Sunday In Rabat Morocco 2 (Diaz 55, El Kaabi 74) Comoros 0 Standings (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points) Morocco 1 1 0 0 2 …
… However, Daka’s late effort denied Mali and the result will suit hosts Morocco, who beat Comoros 2-0 in the tournament’s first match in the same section on Sunday. …
Premier League pair Mohamed Salah and Lyle Foster were match-winners as Egypt and South Africa began their Africa Cup of Nations Group B campaigns with victories in Morocco on Monday. …
Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi scored second-half goals as hosts Morocco got their Africa Cup of Nations bid off to a winning start by beating minnows Comoros 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game on Sunday. …
… NG FOR CHRISTMAS Hamata said league action will take a break during the festive season, with the final matches scheduled from 19 to 21 December. “We will then resume the second week in January 2026 around three days before the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is concluded in Morocco …
Morocco has declared 31 October a national holiday to mark the day the UN Security Council voted in favour of a resolution backing its plan for the disputed Western Sahara region. …
… The Davis Cup World Group II consists of 26 nations throughout the world and includes African nations in Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Togo and Benin.
… Morocco, meanwhile, won the 12-nation tournament to gain promotion to the Europe/Africa Group II after beating Kenya 2-1 in their final match on Saturday. …
Morocco, Botswana, and Kenya will battle it out for the top spot at the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III tournament after completion of the first round of matches on Wednesday. …
The government has launched a pilot electric vehicle charging station at the ministry of works and transport headquarters in Windhoek, signaling its recognition that global transport is shifting towards cleaner mobility and positioning Namibia to follow the lead of regional peers.
Why it matters
Government's pilot EV charging station launch signals commitment to green transport infrastructure and positioning Namibia in regional sustainability trends.
The government has launched a pilot electric vehicle charging station at the ministry of works and transport headquarters in Windhoek, signaling its recognition that global transport is shifting towards cleaner mobility and positioning Namibia to follow the lead of regional peers.
Martin Odegaard scored a second-half equaliser to earn Norway a 1-1 draw with Morocco in a World Cup warm-up match, with Brahim Diaz having given Morocco an early lead.
Brazil defeated Egypt 2-1 in a pre-World Cup friendly in Cleveland, with goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Endrick. Brazil open their World Cup Group C campaign against Morocco on June 13, while Egypt begin their Group G campaign against Belgium on June 15.
New Zealand suffered a 4-0 defeat to Haiti in a World Cup warm-up friendly at Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Tuesday, a loss coach Darren Bazeley called "really disappointing" and New Zealand's heaviest in nine years. The match was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning, and New Zealand faces England next before the World Cup begins.
Africa will be represented by ten nations at the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, with nine countries securing direct qualification and one earning a place through intercontinental play-offs. The direct qualifiers include continental heavyweights Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and South Africa, alongside debutants Cape Verde and returning Congo DR.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams competing in 104 matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada from 11 June to 19 July 2026. It marks the first World Cup hosted by three countries and the first with 48 teams, up from the previous 32-team format.
Brazil beat Panama 6-2 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in a World Cup send-off, with Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr scoring early and Brazil taking control after replacing most of their starting lineup at half-time.
Three-time runners-up the Netherlands enter the World Cup on a 14-match unbeaten run but are not considered among the leading contenders alongside Spain, France, Argentina and England. Coach Ronald Koeman returns to the United States with a well-balanced squad despite injury worries, while the Dutch face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F.
Scotland return to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, determined to break a history of group-stage exits after 12 previous failed attempts at major tournaments. With an experienced squad featuring players from Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Napoli, and the new 48-team format offering expanded knockout qualification, Scotland opens against Haiti before facing Morocco and Brazil in Group C.
Brazil, hunting their first World Cup title in 24 years, face Morocco—semi-finalists in 2022—and Scotland in Group C, with new coach Carlo Ancelotti tasked with optimizing an unbalanced squad featuring strong defensive options but clear gaps at full-back, midfield, and centre-forward.
Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa won the CAF Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate victory over FAR Rabat of Morocco, drawing 1-1 in the second leg on Sunday. Midfielder Teboho Mokoena and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams played key roles in the final.
Orlando Pirates defeated Orbit College 2-0 through two own goals to win the South African Premiership, ending Mamelodi Sundowns' eight-season dominance and claiming their first title since 2012. The victory completed a domestic treble for Pirates under Moroccan coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
Coach Pape Thiaw unveiled a 28-man Senegal squad for the 2026 World Cup, featuring established stars including Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Edouard Mendy alongside emerging talent. Senegal will begin their Group I campaign on June 16 against France in New Jersey, also facing Norway and Iraq.
Namibia's Brave Warriors were placed in Group G of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers alongside Cameroon, Comoros and Congo Brazzaville. Head coach Collin Benjamin expressed confidence in the team's ability to compete, noting that success will depend on preparation, discipline and maintaining belief throughout the campaign.
The article examines how international football differs from club football, citing the absence of a transfer market and the pragmatic constraints on national team coaches who must work with available players and fewer high-profile matches.
Namibia was placed in Group G of the 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers alongside Cameroon, Comoros and Congo Brazzaville. The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in June 2027.
Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer Neymar was recalled to the national team for the World Cup after a near three-year absence, the biggest surprise in coach Carlo Ancelotti's 26-man squad. Neymar, who last played for Brazil in 2023 before injuries sidelined him, has now rejoined Santos and earned selection for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe have jointly submitted a bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, according to newly elected COSAFA president Qabile Thana Tariq Babitseng. The bid follows CAF's encouragement for regional collaboration and aligns with a rotating continental approach to hosting major tournaments.
FIFA boosted total World Cup cash distributions to nearly $900 million (specifically $871 million) from an initial $727 million, citing concerns over rising costs for the 48 teams competing in Mexico, Canada and the United States. The increase includes raising preparation costs per team from $1.5 million to $2.5 million and qualifying payments from $9 million to $10 million per team.
Colombian Brayan Leon scored the decisive goal as South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Tunisia's Esperance 1-0 in a CAF Champions League semi-final second leg, winning 2-0 on aggregate. Sundowns will face Morocco's FAR Rabat in the final, with the first leg in Pretoria on May 15 and the return in Rabat on May 24.
Namibia's under-17 women's football team travels to Kenya to play the second leg of a FIFA Under-17 World Cup qualifier, needing to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit. Coach Woody Jacobs expressed optimism despite the challenge, noting that Namibia's second-half performance in the first leg showed they can compete with Kenya.
Namibia secured the overall title at the All Africa Water Ski Championships held at Von Bach Dam, finishing ahead of South Africa with 13,428.24 points. The victory marks the first time in the competition's history since the mid-1990s that Namibia has emerged as the overall best team, breaking a 30-year streak.
Iraq defeated Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico to secure the 48th and final World Cup berth, marking their first appearance at the finals since 1986. Despite disruptions from the regional conflict and a gruelling journey from Baghdad, Iraq will compete in Group I alongside France, Senegal, and Norway.
Former NFA administrator Barry Rukoro credits the Nedbank Namibian Newspaper Cup, launched in 2001, with identifying and nurturing talent that led to Namibia's 2015 Cosafa Cup win and subsequent international tournament qualifications. The partnership also transformed the NFA's commercial fortunes and spurred national football infrastructure development.
Scotland fell to a 1-0 defeat against Ivory Coast, with Nicolas Pepe scoring in the 12th minute, marking the second 1-0 loss in four days ahead of their first World Cup in 28 years. Manager Steve Clarke will be concerned about his team's lack of goals in the final third.
Following Senegal's January 2025 AFCON title being stripped by CAF after players walked off the pitch, social media posts claim Morocco won their 1976 title the same way. An AFP investigation found no evidence that Moroccan players left the pitch in 1976, with eyewitnesses and archival research confirming Morocco won that tournament "fairly, by the book."
CAF president Patrice Motsepe said he will "respect and implement" the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision on Senegal's appeal against Morocco's overturned 3-0 victory in the disputed January Cup of Nations final. Motsepe stressed the appeal board comprises independent judges and lawyers, and announced CAF is implementing changes to strengthen confidence in referees, VAR operators and judicial bodies.
Despite being ordered to return the Africa Cup of Nations trophy after CAF reversed Senegal's disputed January final victory over Morocco and awarded it to the hosts, Senegal paraded the trophy at the Stade de France and beat Peru 2-0 in a friendly. The Senegalese Football Federation has appealed the CAF decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Morocco's new coach Mohamed Ouahbi began his tenure with a 1-1 friendly draw against Ecuador in Madrid on Friday. The result came as Morocco continues preparation for the 2026 World Cup following the controversial Confederation of African Football decision last week that awarded them the Africa Cup of Nations title over Senegal.
The Namibian Correctional Service has deepened its international engagement through partnerships with organisations including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Corrections and Prisons Association, and achieved an 82% implementation rate of its Annual Plan in the 2025/2026 financial year, according to Commissioner-General Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela.