Nigeria and Ghana endured difficult nights in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after both West African giants suffered defeats on Matchday Two.
The Super Eagles were beaten 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau, while Ghana surrendered a two-goal advantage before eventually losing 4-2 to The Gambia. The results have created early pressure for two of Africa’s traditionally prominent football nations.
The 2027 AFCON tournament will be staged across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the three hosts already assured of places at the finals. The qualifying format means that in groups containing a host nation, the highest-finishing non-host team will secure the available qualifying spot.
Guinea-Bissau Shock Nigeria
Guinea-Bissau delivered one of the biggest surprises of the qualifying round by defeating Nigeria 3-0.
Franculino opened the scoring after 15 minutes before Mama Baldé extended the home side’s advantage in the second half. Álvaro Djaló then added a third goal deep into stoppage time to complete a memorable victory.
The result gives Guinea-Bissau six points from their opening two matches. They had previously defeated Tanzania 2-0 away from home in their first qualifier.
Nigeria had entered the encounter with three points after recovering from an early deficit to beat Madagascar 2-1 in their opening game. However, the Super Eagles were unable to produce another comeback and suffered a heavy setback in their second outing.
With Tanzania automatically qualified as a co-host, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar are effectively competing for the remaining qualifying position from Group L.
Ghana Let Two-Goal Lead Slip
Ghana experienced an equally dramatic collapse against The Gambia in Group C.
The Black Stars appeared to be firmly in control after Ernest Nuamah converted a penalty in the 27th minute. Felix Afena-Gyan increased Ghana’s advantage just six minutes later, putting the hosts two goals ahead.
The Gambia responded before halftime, with Muhammed Badamosi scoring from the spot before Omar Colley levelled the contest five minutes later.
After the interval, the visitors completed their remarkable turnaround. Ebrima Colley put The Gambia ahead in the 68th minute and returned to score again during stoppage time, sealing a 4-2 victory.
The result leaves The Gambia with six points from two matches, following their opening 2-1 win over Somalia. Ghana, meanwhile, have yet to register a point after losing their first two qualifiers.
Zambia Bounce Back
Zambia recovered from their opening-day defeat by beating Togo 2-0.
Albert Kangwanda gave the hosts an early advantage in the third minute after being set up by Fashion Sakala.
Togo remained within touching distance for most of the match, but substitute Eliya Mandanji finally put the result beyond doubt when he scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
The victory moves Zambia onto three points in Group I, while Togo remain on three points after their opening victory over Burundi.
Rwanda Maintain Perfect Record
Rwanda also continued their impressive start by coming from behind to defeat Cape Verde 2-1 away from home.
Cape Verde took the lead through Benchimol shortly before halftime, but Rwanda responded with an equaliser in first-half stoppage time through Claude Niyomugabo.
Elie Iradukunda Tatou then completed the comeback seven minutes after the restart.
The victory gives Rwanda six points from two matches, following their 3-1 win against Liberia in the opening round. Cape Verde, on the other hand, have lost both of their games.
Uganda Edge Libya
Uganda continued their unbeaten start with a narrow 1-0 victory over Libya.
Arnold Vula scored in first-half stoppage time to give the Cranes the only goal of the match.
Uganda now have four points after two games, having previously drawn 1-1 with Tunisia. The result is particularly significant in Group H because Uganda, as one of the tournament’s co-hosts, already have a guaranteed place at the 2027 finals.
The remaining teams in the group are therefore competing for the other qualifying position available to a non-host nation.
Early Pressure on West Africa’s Heavyweights
The contrasting fortunes of Nigeria and Ghana underline how quickly the AFCON qualifying race can change.
Nigeria began with a victory but have now suffered a significant defeat that gives Guinea-Bissau an early advantage in Group L. Ghana’s situation is more difficult after back-to-back losses, including a dramatic home defeat after leading The Gambia 2-0.
Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and Rwanda have each collected maximum points from their opening two matches, giving them strong early positions in their respective groups.
The qualifying campaign remains at an early stage, but the latest results have already increased the importance of the upcoming fixtures for teams seeking to recover ground and secure a place at AFCON 2027.
