Nigeria and Ghana suffer defeats in difficult AFCON qualifying round
Nigeria lost 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau while Ghana surrendered a two-goal lead in a 4-2 defeat by The Gambia in Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia moved to six points from two matches, increasing pressure on both West African teams before the qualifiers resume.
Nigeria and Ghana suffered damaging defeats in Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, with Guinea-Bissau beating Nigeria 3-0 and The Gambia recovering to defeat Ghana 4-2. The results left Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia on six points from two matches, while both West African neighbours face increased pressure in their groups. The results were detailed in a post-match release on the Confederation of African Football website.
In Group L, Franculino gave Guinea-Bissau the lead after 15 minutes. Mama Baldé added a second midway through the second half before Álvaro Djaló completed the victory in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Nigeria had opened its campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar, but could not repeat that recovery against Guinea-Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau had earlier won 2-0 away to co-hosts Tanzania. Tanzania is guaranteed a place at the 2027 finals, leaving the highest-placed team among Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Madagascar to qualify from the group alongside the host. Ghana took a 2-0 lead against The Gambia in Group C.
Ernest Nuamah converted a 27th-minute penalty and Felix Afena-Gyan scored six minutes later. The Gambia responded before half-time through Muhammed Badamosi’s penalty and Omar Colley’s equaliser. Ebrima Colley put The Gambia ahead in the 68th minute and scored again in stoppage time.
The Gambia had begun with a 2-1 win over Somalia, while Ghana had lost 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire. Rwanda also moved to six points after beating Cape Verde 2-1. Zambia beat Togo 2-0 and Uganda defeated Libya 1-0.
The next two matchdays are scheduled for November 9–17, 2026.
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