Government ministers in Senegal have been banned from all non-essential foreign travel following the rise in the price of oil resulting from the conflict in Iran, the country’s prime minister has announced. …
… Iraq, whose preparations for Tuesday’s playoff had been disrupted by the war in the Middle East, will play in World Cup Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. …
A swelling online campaign is demanding that if Senegal is stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title it won in January, then the team they beat, Morocco, should lose their 1976 crown. …
… Fans from four nations taking part this summer — Ivory Coast, Haiti, Iran and Senegal — face US travel bans and LGBTQ+ fan groups from England and across Europe have said they will not attend matches in the US, citing risks to transgender supporters in particular. …
Senegal on Saturday paraded the Africa Cup of Nations trophy they have been ordered to return before beating Peru 2-0 in a friendly at the Stade de France in Paris. …
New African champions Morocco snatched a late 1-1 friendly draw with Ecuador on Friday in their first match since the controversial decision to strip Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations crown. …
Mikel Merino scored a late goal to send Spain through to the World Cup semi-final with a 2-1 victory over Belgium at SoFi Stadium on Friday. Spain will face tournament favorites France in Dallas on Tuesday.
Mikel Merino scored a late goal to send Spain through to the World Cup semi-final with a 2-1 victory over Belgium at SoFi Stadium on Friday. Spain will face tournament favorites France in Dallas on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappé scored a brilliant curling finish after a missed penalty, and set up Ousmane Dembele's goal as France defeated Morocco 2-0 to advance to the World Cup semi-finals, moving Mbappé level with Lionel Messi with eight tournament goals.
Belgium meet Spain in the World Cup quarter-finals on Friday, seeking to break Spain's defence, which has recorded six consecutive World Cup clean sheets—a first in history. Spain have conceded just six shots on target in five matches and are playing possession-based football similar to their 2010 World Cup-winning approach.
The FIFA World Cup has reached the quarter-final stage with eight teams remaining, including France, Morocco, Spain, and Belgium. Matches are taking place in the United States beginning Thursday.
According to The Namibian, African football has achieved a watershed moment at the FIFA World Cup, with a record-breaking nine teams advancing to the knockout rounds—a major breakthrough that signals the continent's emergence as an established power in world football.
Argentina survived an improbable challenge from Cape Verde, defeating the African team 3-2 after extra time in a World Cup match on Friday, with a Diney Borges own goal in the 111th minute breaking Cape Verde's resistance. Argentina will face Egypt on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Portugal advanced to the World Cup last 16 with a 2-1 victory over Croatia, with Goncalo Ramos scoring the winner in stoppage time after VAR ruled out Croatia's apparent late equaliser for offside. The match sets up a showdown with Spain, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a penalty in the contest.
For the first time in World Cup history, a record nine African countries have progressed beyond the group stage, marking a significant advancement for the continent in the tournament. Previously, only one African nation at a time had managed to qualify for the knockout stage.
A new mural created by Sister Namibia and ENK Public Art was unveiled on Nelson Mandela Avenue during Pride Month, referencing the Namibian national anthem with the message "hold high the banner of liberty" and featuring rainbow flags and colourful figures. The project aims to send a message of visibility and inclusion to the queer community in Namibia.
Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick as France defeated Norway 4-1, with Dembele opening in the seventh minute, scoring again on 20 minutes, and completing the hat-trick in the 32nd—one of the earliest in World Cup history. France advanced as Group I winners with nine points and 10 goals in three matches.
Senegal became the first African side to score five goals in a World Cup match, defeating 10-man Iraq 5-0 in their final Group I match, with Pape Gueye scoring twice. Senegal boosted their chances of progressing as one of the eight best third-placed teams with the best goal difference of teams on three points.
France and Norway meet in a crucial World Cup group-stage match on Friday, with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland — both on four goals — set to feature prominently. France need only a draw to clinch first place in the group owing to superior goal difference.
Over 470 fishing vessels operating under African flags are secretly controlled by foreign owners, with profits channelled through shell companies and offshore accounts, according to data compiled by Oceana. Namibia has 30 such foreign-beneficially owned vessels; the African Defence Forum reports the continent loses at least N$212.8 billion annually in its fishing trade, primarily through illegal and unreported fishing.
Lionel Messi became the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer with two goals in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria, breaking Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals. Messi's tournament tally now stands at 18 goals.
Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway defeated Senegal 3-2 on Monday to advance to the World Cup last 32, securing their progression with a game to spare.
The African Union has declared 2026–2035 the Decade of Reparations and called for a global reparations fund to address colonialism and slavery; Reform UK responded by threatening visa restrictions for residents of African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, demanding European accountability.
An opinion piece argues that Namibia's real task is not to celebrate oil discoveries in the Orange Basin, but to develop the institutional, technical, and commercial discipline needed to govern them before project momentum shapes outcomes. Discovery creates only the possibility of achievement; the state must understand what resources it has found and govern them effectively before bad habits harden.
Namibia has accepted responsibility for hosting the Global Water Partnership's (GWP) headquarters in Windhoek, positioning the capital at the centre of international efforts on water security, climate resilience and sustainable development. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the organisation's headquarters belongs to the global community and Namibia must help deliver on its expectations, with a new investment facility expected to influence nearly US$15 billion in water-related investments by 2030.
England begin their World Cup bid against Croatia on Wednesday, seeking to end a 60-year wait for a trophy, while Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in a record-equalling sixth World Cup tournament for Portugal against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria to become the joint all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 16 goals, equalling Miroslav Klose's record.
Erling Haaland scored twice in his first World Cup appearance as Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 in Boston on Tuesday, their first match at a major tournament since 1998. The win left Norway top of Group I on goal difference, level with France on three points.
Omar Artan, set to be the first match official from Somalia to referee at a World Cup finals, was turned back at Miami International Airport on Saturday due to "vetting concerns" from US Customs and Border Protection. FIFA confirmed he would play no part in the tournament, citing the decision as the sole preserve of the United States as tournament co-host.
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.
Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane scored as Germany defeated the United States 2-1 in Chicago on Saturday in both teams' final World Cup warm-up game before the tournament began. Despite the loss, the US mounted a promising performance with chances to equalize, including a notable strike by Antonee Robinson from outside the box.
Amad Diallo scored a late winner as Ivory Coast stunned France 2-1 in a World Cup warm-up match in Nantes on Thursday. Kylian Mbappe had a fruitless evening and was replaced at half-time, remaining stuck on 56 goals for France.
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.
Mohamed Salah, 33, leads Egypt at what is likely his final World Cup, seeking a first tournament victory for the Pharaohs after three previous campaigns without a win. Salah recently ended his nine-year Liverpool career with 257 goals before joining Al-Ittihad.
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.
A same-sex couple in Botswana has filed a court case seeking the right to marry after being told it was illegal when they attempted to register their intent at a local government office. Hearings are scheduled for 14 and 15 July; if successful, Botswana would become the second African country to legalise same-sex marriage after South Africa in 2006.