CAPE TOWN: Cape Verde Islands pulled off another big upset by landing a 2-0 victory in Tunisia to become one of five group winners to advance on Saturday to the last phase of Africa’s World Cup qualifying.
Kenya ended a five-match win drought by edging visiting Namibia 1-0 on Sunday.
African champions Nigeria won Group F Saturday by defeating Malawi 2-0 in Calabar as they look to qualify for their second straight World Cup after going out in the first round in South Africa.
Zimbabwe and Mozambique drew 1-1 in Harare, leaving the southern Africa neighbors winless after six Group G matches each.
Burkina Faso and Ethiopia also came through suspense-filled matches to book their places and were accompanied by heavyweights Nigeria and Senegal.
The five countries now compete over the next two months in playoff games to determine Africa’s representatives for next year’s finals in Brazil.
Algeria, Egypt and Ivory Coast secured their berths back in June, Ghana did so on Friday and the last remaining place will be decided on Sunday.
The draw for the playoffs is in Cairo on Sept. 16.
First-half goals from Platini, who takes his name from the former France captain, and Heldon produced a giant-killing Group B result in Tunis for one of Africa’s smallest countries who began the year with a shock run to the Nations Cup quarter-finals.
Tunisia had needed only a draw to go through.
Burkina Faso, surprise runners-up at the Nations Cup, completed a stunning comeback after losing their opening two games as they edged Congo to the top spot in Group E.
Congo had led by a point but were held 2-2 in Niger despite drafting tall center back Christopher Samba into their defense.
It opened the door for the Burkinabe to overtake them and Prejuce Nakoulma scored nine minutes into the second half to earn a 1-0 home win over Gabon that took them to 12 points, one more than Congo.
Ethiopia were on their way out of the competition at halftime against the Central African Republic but rallied to win 2-1 in neutral Brazzaville and finish top of Group A.
It was a relief for Ethiopia who were previously stripped of three points when soccer’s ruling body FIFA found them guilty of using a suspended player.
The deduction left them needing to win on Saturday to stop South Africa snatching a dramatic lifeline.
South Africa were 2-0 up at home to Botswana at halftime and Ethiopia down by a goal, which would have seen the 2010 World Cup hosts through on goal difference.
But second-half goals for Ethiopia by Saladin Seid and Minyahile Teshome left South Africa crestfallen despite their 4-1 triumph in Durban.
Nigeria and Senegal needed home draws to win their respective groups but won to emphasize their superiority.
Emmanuel Emenike, returning after an eight-month injury absence, opened the scoring for Nigeria and Victor Moses added a second-half penalty as the African champions beat Malawi 2-0 in rainy Calabar to finish first in Group F.
Sadio Mane netted six minutes from time as Senegal defeated Uganda 1-0 in a scrappy Group J match played in neutral Marrakech.
Uganda had Godfrey Walusimbi sent off in the first half for a wild tackle.
Five more teams reach African qualifying playoffs
Five more teams reach African qualifying playoffs
Footballco launches new Riyadh studio to boost creator-led content boom
- Football media company’s venture caters for its Arabic video-first brands
- Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums
RIYADH: Football media and culture company Footballco have opened a new production studio in Riyadh.
The move allows it to boost the volume of in-studio content created for its leading Arabic video-first football brands — Yalla Goal, Yalla Fans and Yalla Girl, as well as branded content for commercial partners.
The new studio complements Footballco’s Riyadh office, which opened in December 2024 as its Middle East headquarters. Footballco’s move to the city was driven by a desire to better serve clients in Saudi Arabia and to bring it closer to the country’s burgeoning football industry. The company now has 20 full-time staff in the Kingdom.
Footballco currently operates three video-first Arabic-language football brands in the region, all targeting Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha fans and fronted by experienced content creators. Yalla Goal combines spirited discussions, bold challenges and fun games, while Yalla Girl celebrates the growth of women’s football in Saudi Arabia and the region, with a focus on talent, personality, laughter and friendship. Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums.
The company’s decision to invest in creator-led, in-studio video formats is backed by its own research which found that, for young fans, brand partnerships with creators are seen as more valuable than official tournament partnerships.
Footballco’s new studio will increase the frequency of video content created for its channels, supported by two full-time hosts for Yalla Goal — Mohammed Bargat and Waleed Al-Shargi (better known as Shargi), who have a combined following of over 900,000 on their personal channels.
Andy Jackson, Footballco’s Middle East senior vice president, said: “With seven national teams from the region set to appear at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eight if Iraq qualify through the play-offs, these new facilities and increasing video output sets our brands up for success at a time where we know there will be an unprecedented demand for fun, creator-led video content.
“We’re also excited to welcome both Bargat and Shargi to the team, with both having more than proved themselves as understanding how to create content that resonates with young fans and they are already familiar to our audiences.”
He added: “In December, our Arabic social channels generated over 1.7 billion video views, so we are building from an incredibly strong base to further cement our position as the clear market leader both in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Our creator-led video formats have proved incredibly popular with brands, and this investment will see us able to offer a broader range of opportunities to our many commercial partners.”
While the World Cup this summer will see Footballco’s new studio in constant use, the company is also readying a slate of programming across Ramadan, with a 30-show spread culminating in an Eid special.
Taha Imani, Footballco’s head of video and social in the Middle East and North Africa region, said: “With YouTube becoming the number one place for fans to enjoy longform and short-form football content, and based on success across Footballco brands such as The Front Three in other markets, we’re expecting to grow at speed as we approach the World Cup giving fans exactly what they want from us on a daily basis.”
