2027 AFCON qualifiers: Nigeria lose 3-0, Ghana fall 4-2 - Punch Newspapers

Nigeria and Ghana endured a difficult night in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday, suffering defeats against Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia respectively. While Guinea-Bissau claimed a convincing 3-0 victory over the Super Eagles in Group L, The Gambia staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Ghana 4-2 in Group C. The results left both West African neighbours facing early pressure in their respective qualifying groups, while Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia moved to six points from two matches. All these were detailed in a post match release on the CAF website. Nigeria 0-3 Guinea-Bissau Nigeria’s hopes of building on their opening-day victory over Madagascar suffered a major setback as Guinea-Bissau recorded a 3-0 win. Franculino put Guinea-Bissau ahead after 15 minutes before Mama Baldé doubled their advantage midway through the second half. Álvaro Djaló then completed the victory in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The result gave Guinea-Bissau a second consecutive victory after their opening 2-0 away win over co-hosts Tanzania. Nigeria had begun their campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar but could not produce another recovery against Guinea-Bissau. With Tanzania automatically assured of a place at the 2027 finals as a co-host, only the highest-placed team among Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Madagascar will join them from Group L. Ghana 2-4 The Gambia Ghana also suffered a damaging defeat after surrendering a two-goal lead against The Gambia.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google Ernest Nuamah opened the scoring for Ghana from the penalty spot in the 27th minute before Felix Afena-Gyan doubled the Black Stars’ advantage six minutes later. The Gambia, however, responded quickly. Muhammed Badamosi converted a penalty in the 37th minute before Omar Colley equalised five minutes later to send the teams into the break level at 2-2. Ebrima Colley then completed The Gambia’s comeback in the 68th minute before scoring again in stoppage time to secure a 4-2 victory. The Gambia now have six points from two matches after also beating Somalia 2-1 in their opening game. Ghana, meanwhile, have lost both of their opening qualifiers, having previously fallen 2-0 away to Côte d’Ivoire. Rwanda keep perfect record While Nigeria and Ghana stumbled, Rwanda maintained their perfect start by beating Cape Verde 2-1 away in Group K. Nigeria, six others account for 90% of global cholera deaths — WHO Guinea-Bissau defeat Nigeria 3-0 in AFCON qualifier Sweden invites FG to submit projects for financing Benchimol gave Cape Verde the lead five minutes before half-time, but Claude Niyomugabo equalised in first-half stoppage time. Elie Iradukunda Tatou then completed Rwanda’s comeback seven minutes after the restart. Rwanda had opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Liberia and now have six points. Cape Verde, meanwhile, are still without a point after also losing 3-1 to Mali in their opening fixture. Zambia bounce back Zambia recovered from their opening-day defeat to Algeria by beating Togo 2-0 in Group I. Albert Kangwanda put Zambia ahead after only three minutes, converting Fashion Sakala’s assist. Substitute Eliya Mandanji then sealed the victory in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Zambia now have three points, while Togo remain on three points following their opening victory over Burundi. Uganda edge Libya Co-hosts Uganda also recorded their first victory, defeating Libya 1-0 in Group H. Arnold Vula scored the only goal in first-half stoppage time to give Uganda four points from their opening two matches. Uganda had started the campaign with a 1-1 draw away to Tunisia. Libya remain on one point after their opening 2-2 draw with Botswana. According to the Confederation of African Football, the 48 teams in the qualifiers are divided into 12 groups of four. The highest-placed non-host nation qualifies from groups containing co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, with those three countries already guaranteed places at the 2027 finals. The results from Tuesday’s fixtures mean Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and Rwanda are among the teams to have made perfect starts, while Nigeria and Ghana will have to recover quickly from their defeats as the qualifying race develops. PUNCH Online reports that Matchday 3 and 4 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers will be played during the November 2026 FIFA international window, from November 9–17, 2026. So after Tuesday’s Matchday 2 games, the qualifiers take a break for about six weeks before resuming in November. Matchdays 5–6 will be on March 22–30, 2027. Tosin Oyediran Tosin Oyediran is a journalist with Punch Newspapers, bringing over eight years of newsroom experience to his coverage of politics, health, advocacy, sports, and entertainment. Known for sharp interviews and human-centered reporting, his work focuses on public accountability, civic issues, and the stories shaping everyday lives.

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