From Kumasi to Cairo, from Algiers to Abuja, from Kinshasa to Bamako, palpable tension has gripped the African continent as 10 teams battle for five tickets to Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are already in Kumasi to take on their fierce West African rivals, the Black Stars of Ghana today, at the Baba Yara Sports Complex in Kumasi, Ghana.
Super Eagles of Nigeria
The Black Stars, who are one of the only three African teams that have reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, a feat they achieved in South Africa 2010, will be hoping to bounce back to reckoning after a shameful outing at the last Africa Cup of Nations, which saw them eliminated in the group stages without winning a single match.
Similarly, the Super Eagles desperately need to redeem their battered image after they were eliminated by Covid-ravaged Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the round of 16, despite having won all their group matches.
The Super Eagles will greatly miss the services of Wilfred Ndidi in the mid-field and the save hands of Maduka Okoye due to injury and illness respectively.
The last time the Super Eagles defeated Ghana was 16 years ago in the Egypt 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, where Taye Taiwo’s rocket free Kick gave Nigeria all three points in a group stage encounter.
While the Black Stars are hoping to reach the World Cup after 12 years, the Super Eagles are gunning for their fourth consecutive appearance at the mundial.
African champions, the Terenga Lions of Senegal will take on the Pharaohs of Egypt in a repeat of the last AFCON final, which the West Africans won on penalties.
Sadio Mane and his teammates will be playing at the Cairo International Stadium with nostalgia. It was in that Stadium they lost the 2019 AFCON final to Algeria.
Either Sadio Mane(L) or Mohamed Salah(R) will not play in Qatar 2022.
Both teams were at Russia 2018 and will fight hard to be in Qatar later this year. Unfortunately, one of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will not make it to the World Cup.
The Eagles of Mali have a golden opportunity to qualify for their first World Cup as they take on the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, who made their World Cup debut 44 years ago and are aiming to make their sixth World Cup appearance.
Tunisia are very experienced in this kind of campaign, hence it will be a very difficult but possible task for Mali to accomplish.
After making their debut appearance in 1970, the Atlas Lions of Morocco are gunning for their sixth World Cup appearance. But, they will have to devour the Leopards of Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Congolese tested the World Cup in 1974 and have not qualified again since then. This is an opportunity they will want to grab with both hands not even the roaring of the Atlas Lion will deter them.
The first African team to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will be seeking to qualify for their eighth World Cup when they confront the Desert Foxes of Algeria.
As host, Cameroon reached the semi-finals of the last AFCON while Algeria as the defending champions, failed from grace to grass, crashing out of the competition in the group stages.
Riyad Mahrez must re-enact his performance in England to help his team over-come Cameroon.
Cameroon is the African country with most World Cup appearance and the first to reach the quarter-final in Italia 90. Algeria debuted in the World Cup in 1982. They failed to qualify for the last World Cup in Russia.
