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African international football returns this week, with the continent’s biggest sides looking to take major steps towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As ever, there are plenty of fixtures to look forward to — with Nigeria squaring off against South Africa, and Algeria taking on Guinea among others — while numerous continental heavyweights are desperate to get the attention back on to the pitch after a bruising and controversial few months.
Here are the main storylines to keep tabs on during gameweek three of CAF’s World Cup qualifying.
Cameroon‘s preparation for this international break has been utterly disastrous, with footage of FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o’s hostile reception of newly appointed head coach Marc Brys going viral.
The Belgian coach departed from his role two days after his appointment, in light of the ugly exchange with Eto’o, but he was reinstated shortly afterwards — after the Indomitable Lions legend issued an apology.
“Your mission may not be easy, despite your qualities and experience, but you must know that you have [the federation’s] support,” Eto’o wrote in a statement, as seen by ESPN.
It’s been a chaotic affair, with Brys issuing one list of players called up for the international break before his short-term successor — the interim head coach Martin Ndtoungou — issuing another only for the Belgian to return to his post.
Don’t expect Eto’o’s unhappiness to die down, as he is still smarting after the Cameroonian sports ministry appointed Brys apparently without the federation’s knowledge.
It also remains to be seen how Brys, a late arrival in the role even ignoring his brief dismissal, will cope, having had little time to familiarise himself with the players and the task at hand.
Training didn’t take place on Monday, amid accusations that FECAFOOT officials had removed the bus containing the team’s equipment, and we can only wonder about the state of the five-time African champions when they face Cape Verde Islands on Saturday.
Less than a week after becoming Morocco’s fourth UEFA Champions League winner, Brahim Díaz is set to return to action when the Atlas Lions host Zambia in their third qualifier.
Diaz was an unused substitute in Real Madrid‘s 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, but he featured nine times for Carlo Ancelotti’s side en route to the final — notably scoring the winner against RB Leipzig in the round of 16.
Victory for Los Merengues means Diaz follows in the footsteps of Morocco teammates Munir El Haddadi, Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech in winning the Champions League, and the second — after Hakimi in 2018 — to do so with Real.
Attention now turns to his nascent international career, with Diaz’s switch from Spain being validated only in March, and the 24-year-old landed in Rabat on Monday ahead of joining his teammates at the Mohammed VI training centre in preparation for their qualifiers.
There are mixed fortunes for two Liverpool legends — and two former African Footballers of the Year — in this international window, with Mohamed Salah set to return to action while his former Anfield teammate Sadio Mané sits this one out.
Salah missed the March international break as he continued his rehabilitation from the hamstring injury he sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations; without him, Egypt lost to Congo DR in the second round.
The injury setback also surely cost Liverpool dearly in their Premier League title pursuit, with Salah struggling to regain his early-season form when the Reds needed him during their run-in.
He netted just once in the final six matches of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure, and the Pharaohs will hope he rediscovers his scoring touch against Burkina Faso in Cairo.
Mané, named by Aliou Cissé in his Senegal squad for the June 6 meeting with Congo DR, arrived in camp only to be ruled out due to injury.
The 32-year-old is understood to have picked up a knee complaint during Al Nassr’s King’s Cup final defeat by Al Hilal on Friday, and his absence was confirmed in a statement issued by Senegal’s federation, as seen by ESPN: “Medical tests revealed a tear in the aponeuroses of the biceps femoris and the lateral gastrocnemius. He will therefore forfeit the Lions’ next two matches.”
Mané will also be absent for the tasty prospect of a ‘derby’ with neighbouring Mauritania, with several of the Mourabitounes eligible to have played for the Teranga Lions.
Abdallah Sima of Brighton & Hove Albion, hot off the back of a fine season on loan with Rangers in Scotland, is one notable returnee to Senegal’s squad.
Nigeria legend Finidi George was formally appointed as the Super Eagles’ head coach in late April, having overseen non-competitive fixtures against Ghana and Mali in March.
Now appointed on a permanent basis, Finidi must tackle two World Cup qualifiers without star player Victor Osimhen.
The Napoli striker — already at the heart of a swirl of off-season transfer rumours — will be sidelined for four weeks with injury, and will therefore miss the fixtures against South Africa and Benin.
The loss of Africa’s reigning Footballer of the Year is a blow, but Finidi ought to be well equipped to replace him; new Bundesliga champion Victor Boniface is one of several attacking stars who could step into the void.
Ademola Lookman, the hat-trick hero of Atalanta‘s UEFA Europa League final triumph over Boniface’s Bayer Leverkusen, is a doubt after being caught up in the domestic upheaval caused by country-wide labour union strikes.
Several players stranded by the disruption to flight services have arrived in camp after the federation chartered a private jet for them, but Lookman’s availability remains uncertain.
There’s no such problem for Bafana Bafana, who are due to arrive in Nigeria on Wednesday after the South African association chartered a flight.
One of the most intriguing bouts of the week sees Algeria host Guinea, who will be counting on Bundesliga sensation Serhou Guirassy to trouble their more illustrious hosts.
Guirassy may have forced his way into contention for the CAF Awards given his stunning season with VfB Stuttgart; his haul of 28 league goals — a goal per game — inspired his club to a Champions League finish, ahead of Bayern Munich.
Fitness problems limited his AFCON impact, but Guinea fans will hope that Guirassy can transfer his awesome Bundesliga form to the international arena.
Creating a buzz in Algeria ahead of the fixture has been Karim Benzema, who visited the land of his parents for the first time, and has vowed to be in attendance for the Guinea game.
Riyad Mahrez has again been overlooked by Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic.
After poor showings at the past two Nations Cups, it was imperative that Les Fennecs sought a new energy — although the head coach may risk finding himself under pressure early if Algeria stutter with high-profile stars such as Mahrez, Youcef Belaïli and Islam Slimani absent from proceedings.
There’s no danger of Gabon head coach Thierry Mouyouma keeping a lid on expectations ahead of their match against reigning African champions Ivory Coast on Friday, in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the week.
The two sides are tied on six points at the top of qualifying Group F, and the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has fuelled expectation in Gabon.
The veteran forward, whose love-hate relationship with the national side takes another twist, has returned after scoring 27 goals for Marseille this season.
Auba hasn’t represented the national side since September 2023, and don’t be surprised if this latest comeback doesn’t last too long.
He should be expecting a reasonably straightforward outing in Ivory Coast, at least if Mouyouma’s pre-match comments are anything to go by.
“The match won’t be easy, but it’s the type of game that motivates the boys,” Mouyouma said before comparing the Ivorians with Gabon’s previous opponents — lowly Kenya. “It’s much easier to play against Ivory Coast than it is to play against the 107th-ranked team in world football. No offence to anyone.”
Quite a claim!
