DR Congo maintained their perfect start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, defeating Zimbabwe 2-1 in Harare. Yoane Wissa put DR Congo ahead in the 30th minute, and Samuel Moutoussamy doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time. Zimbabwe pulled one back through Marshall Munetsi in the 90th minute, but DR Congo held on to claim all three points. This victory moved DR Congo to six points from two matches, leaving them at the summit of Group E.
The win over Zimbabwe demonstrated DR Congo's ability to secure maximum points away from home. They had opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea. CAF confirmed that Wissa scored one and created the other for Moutoussamy. In the same group, Equatorial Guinea secured their first victory of the campaign with a narrow 1-0 triumph over Sierra Leone in Yaoundé. Loren Zúñiga struck inside the opening minute to give Equatorial Guinea an early advantage, and the goal ultimately proved decisive.
Tunisia, on the other hand, were forced to settle for another draw after being held 2-2 by Botswana in Rades. Botswana took the lead in the 37th minute through Thatayaone Kgamanyane, but Tunisia responded strongly with Hazem Mastouri scoring in the 44th minute and completing his brace in the 49th minute. However, Botswana refused to surrender and eventually levelled the contest in the 60th minute when Lebogang Ditsele found the net. The draw left both Tunisia and Botswana on two points after two matches in Group H.
In Group F, Burkina Faso moved onto four points after defeating the Central African Republic 1-0 in Casablanca. Aboubacar Camara scored the decisive goal in the 60th minute, making only his second senior international appearance. The victory was particularly notable for Camara, who helped Burkina Faso move into a stronger position after collecting maximum points. The Central African Republic remain without a victory.
Attention in Group L now turns to Nigeria, who face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday in what is already an important encounter in the qualification race. Nigeria began their campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Uyo. George Ilenikhena equalised in first-half stoppage time, and substitute Moses Usor completed the comeback in the 65th minute. Guinea-Bissau also made an impressive start, defeating co-hosts Tanzania 2-0 away from home.
The Group L situation carries an additional dimension because Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda are the three co-hosts of the 2027 tournament and are automatically qualified. CAF's qualifying structure provides for one additional qualifying team from each of their respective groups, making every point particularly important for the remaining nations. Nigeria will again be without Victor Osimhen, who was ruled out of both September qualifiers after suffering a muscle injury.
Tuesday's programme features 17 AFCON qualifying matches across the continent, including Nigeria's encounter with Guinea-Bissau. The match will be played at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro in Bissau, with CAF's official schedule placing the encounter at 16:00 GMT, equivalent to 5pm in Nigeria. With the qualifying campaign still at an early stage, the second round is already beginning to separate teams capable of establishing an early advantage from those needing to recover quickly.
Key points
- DR Congo have made the clearest statement so far with six points from two matches.
- Tunisia's consecutive draws have left their qualification race more finely balanced.
- Nigeria face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday in a crucial Group L encounter.
