SOCCER – Cape Verde will host Sihlangu on Monday with a chance to secure their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance, following a dramatic 3-3 draw in Libya that left their qualification hopes in their own hands.
The Blue Sharks, as Cape Verde are fondly called, currently sit atop Group D with 20 points, maintaining a two-point cushion over Cameroon heading into the final matchday of African qualifiers. A victory at home will guarantee Cape Verde’s debut at the expanded 48-team tournament, regardless of what happens in Yaoundé, where Cameroon hosts Angola.
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Even a draw would likely suffice, though the Blue Sharks will not leave anything to chance after Wednesday’s rollercoaster in Tripoli.
The match in Libya proved more dramatic than Cape Verde would have liked. An early own goal from Pico handed the hosts an unexpected lead before Telmo Arcanjo’s superb header restored parity.
When Ezzeddin El Maremi curled home a spectacular free kick to make it 3-1, Cape Verde’s dreams seemed at risk. However, Lopes Cabral capitalised on a goalkeeping error to pull one back, and Willy Semedo scrambled home the equaliser eight minutes from time, rescuing a precious point.
The result kept Libya’s mathematical hopes alive at 15 points, but with Cape Verde facing bottom side Sihlangu at home, the realistic scenario points toward celebration in Praia on Monday evening.
Cameroon kept their own qualification hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over Mauritius at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex in Saint-Pierre. Nicolas Ngamaleu opened the scoring early in the second half when Carlos Baleba’s long pass forced a defensive error from Jordan Francois, and substitute Bryan Mbeumo sealed the result in stoppage time.
The Indomitable Lions have done everything asked of them, but their fate now depends on Cape Verde stumbling against Sihlangu. Cameroon will need to beat Angola convincingly while hoping Sihlangu can produce one of the upsets of the qualifying campaign.
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Angola’s qualification hopes ended after a 2-2 draw with Sihlangu at Somhlolo National Stadium. Justice Figuareido scored twice to put the hosts ahead before Jonathan Buatu and Ary Papel netted late headers to salvage a point for Angola.
2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS – GROUP D
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 20 |
| Cameroon | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 18 |
| Libya | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 15 |
| Angola | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 11 |
| Mauritius | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 5 |
| Eswatini | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 3 |
