Egypt, Senegal and Ghana face pressure to relaunch drive for 2027 AFCON

Egypt and Senegal drew on Friday against Angola and Mozambique respectively while Ghana went down 2-0 to Côte d'Ivoire in Bouaké on Thursday night.

"In terms of possession, Côte d'Ivoire was better than us," Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz conceded after the defeat.

"But in terms of attacking penetration and creating opportunities, we were better than them. But they got the result." Carlos Queiroz steered Ghana into the knockout rounds at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Queiroz said his side would be on the front foot against Gambia who opened their Group C campaign with a 2-1 win over Somalia.

"We know that if we want to win the game, we have to fight to have the ball," said Queiroz.

"After we get the ball, we have to play with a positive mind and express our skills to go forward and try to score," he added.

Ghana won the last of their four titles at the continent's most prestigious national team tournament in 1982.

In every competition between 2008 and 2017, they reached the semi-finals and were beaten finalists in 2010 and 2015.

But they have since slumped to group stage exits and failed to advance to the 2025 competition in Morocco.

"The past is important because the past gives us the things we need to learn in order to progress," Queiroz added.

"This is a very important moment for Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. We have to move everybody that supports Ghana in the same direction. We all have to support the players that are here to perform."

Egypt, Senegal, Morocco and Nigeria start quest for AFCON 2027

Senegal's football federation chiefs drafted in the Senegal-born former France international Patrick Vieira to take over from Pape Thiaw who left after the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Mozambique mar Vieira's Senegal debut

But Vieira's stardust failed to inspire his new charges who were held to a 1-1 draw. Geny Catamo cancelled out Nicolas Jackson's 33rd minute strike for Senegal just before half-time in their Group J opener.

Vieira's men go into the game against Ethiopia in Bahir Dar just over a week before the Court of Arbitration for Sport considers whether Senegal should be reinstated as winners of the 2025 Cup of Nations in Morocco.

They won the final against Morocco 1-0 on 18 January 2026in Rabat. The victory came following 30 minutes of extra-time.

In second-half stoppage-time during the initial 90 minutes, Senegal's players walked off the pitch in protest over two refereeing decisions and delayed proceedings for nearly 20 minutes.

Morocco appeal against final result

After the game, Morocco's football federation called on the organisers to sanction Senegal's behaviour. The disciplinary committee at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) failed to punish Senegal but in March Caf'sappeals panel ruled that Senegal had flouted competition rules and stripped the title from the West Africans.

As lawyers for the Senegal federation prepare for the courtroom battle, Vieira said the performance and attitude of his squad was on the right track despite the draw with Mozambique.

"It was important to lay the foundations," added the 50-year-old. "We've identified the shortcomings and we'll address them through hard work. 

"We showed in our play that we wanted to secure this victory but luck wasn't on our side. Perhaps we'll put the chances away against Ethiopia."

Egypt face South Sudan

Egypt's first competitive game after their fractious elimination at the 2026 World Cup ended in a goalless draw against Angola.

The Pharoahs – as Egypt are nicknamed – go into the encounter against South Sudan without star skipper Mohamed Salah.

According to a statement from the Egyptian Football Association, federation bosses are concerned about Salah playing on the artificial pitch in Juba.

"An agreement was reached between the national team's technical staff and Mohamed Salah before the Angola match that he would not play against South Sudan, with the technical staff preferring this in order to protect the player," said an EFA statement.

Salah, who moved from Liverpool to Trabzonspor during the summer, was replaced by Zico after 61 minutes in Friday night's match.

The draw left Malawi at the top of Group B after they beat South Sudan 2-1 in their opener.

Morocco, who play against Lesotho on Tuesday night, began their quest to qualify with a 2-0 win over Gabon.

There were opening round wins for Nigeria, Cameroon and Algeria while Cape Verde, who reached the knockout stages on their World Cup debut, suffered a 3-1 defeat in Mali.