Nigeria and Ghana suffer huge AFCON 2027 qualifying shocks

What the report says

West African football powers Ghana and Nigeria suffered major setbacks in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on Reuters coverage. Ghana were beaten 4-2 at home by The Gambia in Accra after leading 2-0, while Nigeria lost 3-0 away to Guinea-Bissau despite fielding a lineup with seven Premier League starters. The results came in the early stages of the qualifying campaign for the tournament that will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Ghana’s collapse was especially damaging because it followed another defeat in their opening Group C match against Ivory Coast. The report said the loss increased pressure on coach Carlos Queiroz. Nigeria, meanwhile, were outplayed throughout their Group D match, with Guinea-Bissau taking control through first-half and second-half goals before adding a stoppage-time third.

Elsewhere in Africa’s qualifiers, Algeria rescued a draw after trailing Burundi 2-0 early, while Cape Verde also suffered an unexpected home defeat to Rwanda. Heavyweights Egypt, Morocco and Senegal all secured wins, with Senegal’s new coach Patrick Vieira earning his first victory in charge. The wider round featured a busy schedule of 17 matches, underlining how competitive and unpredictable the qualifying phase has become.