RismadarVoice Reporters
September 25, 2026
DR Congo and Ivory Coast have opened their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaigns with victories, while Cameroon also secured three points in Thursday’s round of fixtures.
DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0 in Kinshasa, with captain Chancel Mbemba and Yoane Wissa providing the goals.
Mbemba gave the hosts an early advantage, heading home in the fourth minute before Wissa doubled the lead in the 72nd minute.
The hosts threatened to extend their advantage, hitting the woodwork twice and seeing two efforts ruled out for offside.
The victory marked DR Congo’s first competitive appearance since their run at the 2026 World Cup, where they reached the knockout stage before losing narrowly to England in the last 32.
Attendance at the Stade des Martyrs was restricted to 20,000 spectators following sanctions imposed over crowd disturbances during a previous World Cup qualifier against Senegal.
In another major fixture, Ivory Coast secured a 2-0 victory over Ghana in Bouake.
Malick Yalcouye opened the scoring with a long-range effort in the first half before Franck Kessie converted a second-half penalty to double the hosts’ advantage.
Ivory Coast controlled much of the encounter, recording 61 per cent possession, while Ghana struggled to create clear opportunities and did not register a shot on target until the 75th minute.
Elsewhere, Cameroon began their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Comoros, while Tunisia were held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda.
Mauritania also collected maximum points after defeating the Central African Republic 3-1 in Casablanca, with Dawda Camara among the scorers.
Namibia edged Congo 1-0 through Bethuel Muzeu’s decisive strike.
In Tripoli, Libya recovered from two goals down to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw against Botswana in a match played behind closed doors.
Tumisang Orebonye struck twice for Botswana in the first half before Maruwan Alhibeeshi reduced the deficit in the 87th minute.
Libya completed the comeback deep into stoppage time after being awarded a penalty, with Ezoo El Mariamy converting to rescue a point for the hosts.
