The Amavubi of Rwanda and the Nigeria settled for a goalless draw in a Group D match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifier played in Kigali on Tuesday.

Graced by the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, the match was watched by a big crowd at the newly renovated Amahoro Stadium.

Against a star studded Super Eagles side, the Rwanda defenders led by Ange Mutsinzi, Fitina Omborenga and Claude Niyomugabo were up to the task and kept them at bay.

Earlier after 21 minutes Lookman Olajide Ademola thought he had given Nigeria the lead off a header, but the referee called for a free-kick after an infringement in the box.

Later the Nigerian bench made changes bringing on star players Moses Simon in for Samuel Chukwueze, and Victor Osimhen in for Victor Boniface. But the Super Eagles were still locked out by the determined Amavubi side.

In the 87^th minute Rwanda had a chance when Bonheur Mugisha’s shot was parried back into play by Nigeria’s goalkeeper Stanley Bobo Nwabali.

In Juba, hosts South Sudan suffered a 3-2 defeat to South Africa in a Group K match. Tito Okello gave the Bright Star the lead from the spot after 15 minutes after being brought down by Siyabonga Ngezana. But Oswin Appollis netted two goals to take South Africa 2-1 at the interval.

Later Valentino Yuel leveled matters for South Sudan 13 minutes after the break. With just a few minutes of added time Thalente Mbatha scored for Bafana Bafana to enable them pick three valuable points.

Uganda Cranes who beat Congo Brazzaville 2-0 in another Group K match played in Kampala on Monday remain top of the Group with a better goal advantage than South Africa who also have the same number of points

On Monday other teams in the CECAFA Zone Burundi suffered a 1-0 Group L defeat to Senegal, while Sudan lost 2-1 away to Angola in a Group F match played in Luanda. Ethiopia suffered a 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in a Group H match they hosted at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Uganda Cranes fought from a goal down to hold hosts South Africa in a Group K match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers played on Friday.

Lyle Foster gave Bafana Bafana an early lead after 14 minutes at the Orlando Stadium.

The Burnley striker received a pass from Khuliso Mudau and made no mistake placing the ball past Uganda’s goalkeeper Ismail Watenga.

After recess, the Uganda Cranes grew in confidence as Denis Omedi unleashed a scorcher after 51 minutes to make it 1-1. Two minutes later Rogers Mato also shot from outside the box to beat South Africa’s goalkeeper Veli Mothwa to give Uganda Cranes a 2-1 lead.

But as the match progressed the visitors failed to manage the game well giving South Africa the opportunity to level matters five minutes into added time through Thalente Mbatha. It was all relieve for the home fans as the match ended 2-2.

Paul Put, the Uganda Cranes coach said his team was lucky in the first half because they were not in the game. “My players were playing like children in the first half and were lucky to concede only one goal. In the second half we saw a much better display and now we must prepare well for the match against Congo Brazzaville next week,” added the coach.

In an earlier Group J match played at the Nelson Mandela Stadium Namboole in Uganda, the Harambee Stars of Kenya settled for a goalless draw against Zimbabwe.

The two teams created some scoring opportunities, but failed to take them. Kenya were forced to use a neutral ground because they currently don’t have a stadium that fulfills the required standards set by the Confederation of African Football and FIFA to host international matches.

On Thursday South Sudan suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Congo Brazzaville in a Group K match, while Burundi put up a remarkable performance to stop hosts Malawi 3-2 in a Group L match played at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Sudan who registered a 1-0 win against Niger will travel to face Angola, while Ethiopia hosts DR Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Burundi will host Senegal in a Group L match to be played in Malawi.

Collected results for CECAFA teams

September 4

Sudan 1 Niger 0

Tanzania 0 Ethiopia 0

Libya 1 Rwanda 1

September 5

Congo Brazzaville 1 South Sudan 0

Malawi 2 Burundi 3

September 6

Kenya 0 Zimbabwe 0

South Africa 2 Uganda 2

The head coach of Sudan national team has praised his team for the hard work which earned them a 1-0 win against Niger in a Group E match as the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier kicked-off yesterday.

Bakr Issa netted the lone goal after 51 minutes to give Sudan the much needed win in a match played at the Juba Stadium in South Sudan.

James Kwesi Appiah, the Sudan head coach said that although the match was not easy, he is happy and proud of the effort of the players. “I thank the players for working hard to get the three points as we started the qualifiers. There is still a lot of work to be done because we have many more matches to be played in the group,” added Appiah.

Sudan who will next face Angola away in Luanda next week have been in good form this year under the Ghanaian winning five out of their six games.

The other teams from the CECAFA Zone picked draws with Tanzania and Ethiopia settling for a goalless draw in a Group H match played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es salaam.

Rwanda picked a vital 1-1 draw away against Libya. The hosts netted first through Subhi Al Dhawi in the 16^th minute, but Innocent Nshuti leveled matters after 47 minutes.

Action continues today with a Group K match between Congo Brazzaville and South Sudan to be played at the Stade Alphonse Massemba-Debat in Brazzaville, the same day Burundi play away against Malawi in a Group K match at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Fixture for CECAFA teams

September 5

Congo Brazzaville Vs South Sudan

Malawi Vs Burundi

September 6

Kenya Vs Zimbabwe

South Africa Vs Uganda

The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers will officially kick-off on Wednesday with several matches on card.

Four teams from the CECAFA Zone will be in action with the Amavubi of Rwanda facing hosts Libya at the Tripoli Stadium in a Group D match, while Sudan host Niger in a Group F tie at the newly renovated Juba Stadium in South Sudan.

Torsten Frank Spitter, the Rwanda coach has made it clear that they need to start well in the qualifiers. “We are fully prepared for the match. We believe in our chances and trust our players. We seek to achieve victory despite the difficulty of the task, in order to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations,” added Spitter.

Taifa Stars of Tanzania, the only team to play at the last AFCON held in Ivory Coast will also play host to Ethiopia in a Group H encounter at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. The match promises to be a tough contest since the two teams know each other well enough.

On Thursday all eyes in the CECAFA Zone will focus on the Group K match between Congo Brazzaville and South Sudan to be played at the Stade Alphonse Massemba-Debat in Brazzaville, the same day Burundi play away against Malawi in a Group K match at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Uganda Cranes, the highly ranked team by FIFA in the Zone will be in action away to South Africa in Group K match at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on September 6^th, the same day Kenya host Zimbabwe in a Group J match to be played at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole in Kampala, Uganda.

Paul Put, Uganda’s coach will be hoping to see his team make a good start in the campaign before they host Congo Brazzaville in a few days in Kampala.   

A total of 48 nations drawn in 12 groups of 4 will kick start the qualifiers, with the top two finishers in the eleven (11) groups that do not involve tournament hosts Morocco, set to gain qualification to the competition.

Fixture for CECAFA teams

September 4

Libya Vs Rwanda

Sudan Vs Niger

Tanzania Vs Ethiopia

September 5

Congo Brazzaville Vs South Sudan

Malawi Vs Burundi

September 6

Kenya Vs Zimbabwe

South Africa Vs Uganda