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Super Eagles battle South Africa, Rwanda, 3 others for 2026 World Cup ticket (+GROUPS LIST)

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Super Eagles battle South Africa, Rwanda, 3 others for 2026 World Cup ticket (+GROUPS LIST)

Three-time African champions, the Super Eagles of Nigeria who have reached the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup finals on three occasions, must overcome the challenge of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Benin Republic, Lesotho and Rwanda in Group C to reach the 2026 edition to be staged in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

The teams were paired during the preliminary draws organized by Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Super Eagles, who missed out on the Qatar World Cup will begin the hunt for the world Cup qualification in games that will take place over ten matchDays during the next two years.

According to FIFA, the 54 CAF nations were seeded in six pots and then drawn into nine groups, each comprising six teams.

The nine groups will play in a home and away, round-robin, format with each of the group winners qualifying automatically for the FIFA World Cup.

The four best group runners-up will then compete in a play-off stage to determine CAF’s representative at the FIFA play-off tournament.

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The FIFA play-off tournament will feature one team from each of FIFA’s six confederations, except UEFA, plus one additional team from the host confederation (Concacaf).

Two of the six teams will be seeded based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. The seeded teams will play for a FIFA World Cup berth against the winners of the first two knockout games involving the four unseeded teams.

The qualifiers, including the playoffs, will start from November 3, 2023 till November 18, 2025.

It will be recalled that Africa got nine automatic places when the World Cup was expanded to 48 teams in 2026.

The World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from 11 June 2026 to 19 July 2026.

The Groups at a glance

GROUP A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti

GROUP B: Senegal, DR Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan

GROUP C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin Republic, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho

GROUP D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, eSwatini, Mauritius

GROUP E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger Republic, Eritrea

GROUP F: Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, The Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles

GROUP G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia

GROUP H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome & Principe

GROUP I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad

Super Eagles battle South Africa, Rwanda, 3 others for 2026 World Cup ticket (+GROUPS LIST)

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Manchester United to use Marcus Rashford in swap deal for Victor Osimhen

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Manchester United to use Marcus Rashford in swap deal for Victor Osimhen

Marcus Rashford’s potential exit from Manchester United could open the door to Victor Osimhen making the move to Old Trafford, according to a new report.

The 27-year-old has been dropped from the side in recent weeks by head coach Ruben Amorim. In fact, he has not featured in a minute of football since his side’s 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest on 7 December.

Reports by Goal.com suggested on Thursday, December 2 that Rashford is keen to see out his career in Europe, having turned down three offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia. He reportedly turned down the chance to secure a contract worth £ 675,000 per week in a bid to reclaim a spot back in the England side.

As such, a move to Napoli has now been mooted according to several media agencies in the UK and Italy. Antonio Conte’s men are currently in second place in the Italian top flight and are looking to bring in another forward to secure the league title, reports The Sun.
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They are keen on Rashford and it’s thought that this could open the door for the Red Devils to sign Victor Osimhen, as part of a sensational swap deal.

Osimhen was close to making a move to Chelsea during the summer window, but the proposed move collapsed as they could not agree personal terms. During the window, the striker instead made the loan move to Galatasaray for the 2024/25 season. So far in Turkey, he has scored 12 goals and made five assists in 15 outings.

Osimhen netted 76 times for Napoli in 133 appearances, even helping them win a scudetto during the 2022/23 season.

United have scored just 21 league goals this season, with Rasmus Hojlund, particularly Joshua Zirkzee, particularly under-fire. It could be that the Old Trafford club is looking to bring in another forward in the winter window ahead of the second half of the season.

Osimhen reportedly has a £62 million release clause in his contract and any move involving Rashford would see the Manchester-born attacker reunited with former United player Scott McTominay at the Italian city.

 

Manchester United to use Marcus Rashford in swap deal for Victor Osimhen

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This is my worst year, S’Eagles keeper Nwabali says, announcing mother’s death after father passing

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Stanley Nwabali

This is my worst year, S’Eagles keeper Nwabali says, announcing mother’s death after father passing

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali has lost his mother to the cold hands of death barely two month after losing his father.

Nwabali took to his X handle on New Year Day to announce the death of his mother.

In a deeply emotional moment, he shared that this has been “the worst year” of his life, a heart-wrenching statement that captures the weight of his grief.

Nwabali‘s words convey the raw pain of navigating through such a devastating period, with a message that resonates deeply with anyone who has experienced profound loss.

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His final post describes the world as “crazy,” encapsulating the bewilderment and despair that often follows such an overwhelming tragedy.

However, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) extended heartfelt condolences to Nwabali following the devastating loss of his mother.
In a message shared on social media, the NFF expressed solidarity with Nwabali during this extremely difficult time, offering strength and support.
“Stay strong, Stanley. You are not alone; we are all with you,” the NFF wrote, demonstrating the collective support of the football community as he navigates through his grief.

This is my worst year, S’Eagles keeper Nwabali says, announcing mother’s death after father passing

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EPL: Arsenal sink Brentford 3-1 to close in on Liverpool

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EPL: Arsenal sink Brentford 3-1 to close in on Liverpool

Arsenal closed the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to six points as Gabriel Jesus extended his hot-streak in a 3-1 win at Brentford on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta’s side were rocked by Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half goal at the Gtech Community Stadium.

But Arsenal refused to be blown away on a wet and windy evening in west London as Jesus equalised before the break.

It was the Brazilian’s sixth goal in his last four games after he scored just once in his first 20 matches this season.

Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli netted in quick succession soon after half-time to ensure Arsenal moved into second place above Nottingham Forest.

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Excluding their 5-1 rout of Crystal Palace, the Gunners had spluttered through their last four games with lacklustre draws against Fulham and Everton followed by a narrow win over lowly Ipswich.

But Arsenal’s first Premier League game of 2025 provided compelling evidence that they are ready to compete in the title race with Liverpool, who have a game in hand on the north Londoners.

Runners-up to Manchester City for the last two seasons, Arsenal are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, a revitalising run that includes four successive wins.

With Bukayo Saka sidelined for several months due to a hamstring injury, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri made his first league start for Arsenal.

Kai Havertz was absent after scoring Arsenal’s winner against Ipswich but Jesus ensured the German was not missed.

Arsenal did not lose a single one of their 10 league London derbies in 2024 and they maintained their impressive record in capital clashes after surviving an early blow.

EPL: Arsenal sink Brentford 3-1 to close in on Liverpool

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