World Cup
History makers Morocco to begin World Cup qualifying against Eritrea
World Cup history makers Morocco will host minnows Eritrea — 181 places lower in the FIFA rankings — when they start their quest for a place at the 2026 tournament.
The first two of 10 matchdays in Africa are scheduled for November 13-21 and, after Eritrea, the first semi-finalists from Africa face a potentially tricky visit to improving Tanzania.
Last December in Qatar, Morocco became only the third country outside of Europe and South America to reach the World Cup semi-finals, emulating the United States and South Korea.
They shocked Belgium and held Croatia in the group stage, then eliminated Spain and Portugal in knockout matches before falling to France.
In 16 pre-Qatar World Cup matches spanning five tournaments, the north Africans had won only two and suffered nine defeats.
Morocco were given little chance of surviving the first round in Qatar, especially after a late change of coaches with local Walid Regragui succeeding Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic.
But Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech and Youssef en-Nesyri inspired their teammates to defy the odds.
Apart from Eritrea and Tanzania, Morocco will face Zambia, Congo Brazzaville and Niger in Group E, with the team topping the final standings qualifying for the finals.
Morocco should justify being the top seeds in the mini-league, which stretches from November to October 2025, with Patson Daka-inspired Zambia and Tanzania probably the biggest threats.
Threats to Nigeria
Egypt, reigning African champions Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia and Mali are the other countries seeded to top final tables and qualify automatically.
Like Morocco, they will kick off their campaigns at home to the lowest-ranked side in the group, then visit the team ranked fourth.
Seeding was based on the FIFA rankings, and Mali are the only top seeds not to have featured at a World Cup.
Cameroon lead the way with eight appearances and have been drawn with Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini and Mauritius in Group D.
Nigeria, six-time qualifiers but shock absentees from Qatar after losing a play-off against arch rivals Ghana, could find South Africa and Zimbabwe troublesome Group C rivals.
Ghana are set to pose the biggest challenge to Mali in Group I, which also includes Madagascar, the Central African Republic, the Comoros and Chad.
Democratic Republic of Congo, the first sub-Saharan qualifiers for the World Cup in 1974 when the country was called Zaire, are capable of testing Group B favourites Senegal.
Algeria, missing from Qatar after a play-off loss to Cameroon, will probably view unpredictable Guinea as the nation most likely to upset them in Group G.
Competition for places at the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States does not end with the nine group winners.
The best four runners-up go into play-offs and the winners enter a six-team inter-continental tournament with two World Cup places up for grabs.
-AFP
World Cup
Home grounds of Barcelona, Real Madrid among 11 proposed World Cup 2030 venues
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Spain’s soccer federation (RFEF) has proposed 11 stadiums as candidates to host matches during the 2030 World Cup, including the home arenas of LaLiga clubs Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Spain, who will co-host the tournament with Portugal and Morocco as well as centenary hosts Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, will also have 45 additional grounds as team bases, the RFEF said on Friday.
Other LaLiga clubs whose home arenas have made the list include Sevilla, Malaga, Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Las Palmas and promoted Espanyol.
Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium, despite being the fifth-largest stadium in LaLiga with a capacity of 49,430, was not included in the list of potential venues.
“In order to define the venues, all the possibilities have been analysed, including the option of expanding to 13, an option that must be taken unanimously by the three federations,” the RFEF said in a statement.
The tournament will have a maximum of 20 venues, the RFEF added.
Co-hosts Morocco last year announced plans to build a stadium near Casablanca and upgrade six others before the World Cup.
-Reuters
World Cup
It’s 28 years since Super Eagles’ worst competitive defeat
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/denmark-beat-nigeria.jpg)
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Denmark face Germany on Saturday hoping to recreate their famous victory at the Euro 92 when they secured their first title, although they were the underdogs.
This day 28 June, a day before their Round of 16 Euro 2024 clash with Germany also brings the memory of their famous Round of 16 win over Nigeria at the France ‘98 World Cup.
Their 4-1 defeat of the Super Eagles remains the biggest defeat that the Nigerians have gotten in a competitive duel in nearly 30 years.
It was an unexpected result considering that the Super Eagles contributed to the elimination of one of the tournaments favourites, Spain.
A goal down under two minutes and two down under 12 minutes presented a huge mountain for the Super Eagles to climb.
What a twist of an event most had thought the Nigerian team would be the dominant side.
The world was awaiting a match-up of Nigeria and Brazil in the quarter-finals.
It was to rekindle the memorable encounter of both countries’ Olympic teams two years earlier when Nigeria famously defeated Brazil 4-3 in a golden goal decider at the semi-finals.
A rematch at the quarter finals of France ’98 would have brought up a novel match-up of reigning Olympic gold medallists and reigning World Cup holders. It turned out a mere dream.
Nigeria’s manager, Bora Milutinović fielded a starting line-up with seven midfielders and no attacker.
Could that had been a new tactical formation in football in a knockout game Nigeria had to score and win? Call it the 3-7-0. Call it overconfidence.
Even Nigeria’s manager was reportedly half-kiddingly remarked before the match: “We’ve got a very important match coming up in Nantes” – a reference to a possible quarter-final meeting with Brazil.
Member of the team, Mutiu Adepoju told Sports Village Square that poor tactical approach cost Nigeria the match. “The game was taken as a routine one and hence, no special preparation for it.
“The coaches did not even border to get insight into the Denmark team”, said Adepoju who was called ‘Headmaster’ for his heading skill. It was with an header that he scored Nigeria’s first goal that put scores at 1-1 in a 3-2 defeat of Spain in the opening match.
He dismissed a well publicised claim by teammate, Taribo West that the players had busy nights with women prior to the match.
He however admitted that there was discontentment in camp and that the coaching crew lost control of the team.
It came light that the players did not sleep all night as the now very familiar agitations for enhanced match bonuses came up.
As published in the on-line version of Al-Jazeera in 2014, Sunday Oliseh was quoted as saying: “We wasted too much energy on the eve of our game haggling over bonus, something like that should not be the focus at a big tournament like the World Cup. “We lost that game off the pitch and not on the pitch.”
World Cup
FIFA awards win to Niger after Congo no-show in World Cup qualifier
![bf5f50d9-fifa.jpg](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Under-17-World-Cups-to-be-held-every-year-says-FIFA.jpg)
FIFA has awarded Niger a win and the full three points in a 2026 World Cup soccer qualifier with Congo that was postponed this month, the world governing body said on Wednesday.
Congo had refused to travel to Kinshasa, capital of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, for their home game after their stadium in Brazzaville was deemed not to have met hosting requirements.
Niger did travel, and were awarded the game 3-0, which leaves them second in Group E on six points, three behind leaders Morocco. Congo are stuck on zero points from their three matches.
Only the top team in each of the nine pools is guaranteed a place at the expanded World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to declare the match lost by forfeit 3-0 by the representative team of Congo,” FIFA said in a statement.
It said the Alphonse Massemba-Debat Stadium in Brazzaville could not have been used until renovations, including the laying of a new pitch, were completed
Congolese Sports Minister Hughes Nguilondile declared the stadium ready in late May, but it was deemed too late to move the fixture. FIFA ordered it to go ahead in Kinshasa as originally planned, leading to Congo’s withdrawal in protest.
-Reuters
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