DR Congo and Ivory Coast Begin AFCON Qualifying with Wins

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ivory Coast opened their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaigns with wins, while several other fixtures produced notable results.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ivory Coast made winning starts to their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaigns, while Cameroon, Mauritania and Namibia also collected victories in the opening fixtures.

DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0 at home, with captain Chancel Mbemba putting the hosts ahead in the fourth minute. Yoane Wissa added the second goal 18 minutes from time.

The home side created further opportunities at the Stade des Martyrs, hitting the woodwork twice and having two other efforts ruled out for offside. The match was played before a restricted crowd of 20,000 following sanctions linked to fan violence after a World Cup qualifying defeat by Senegal.

Ivory Coast controls Group C derby

Ivory Coast beat Ghana 2-0 in a Group C derby in Bouake. Malick Yalcouye scored in the first half before Franck Kessie converted a penalty after the interval.

Ghana, which did not qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, failed to register a shot on target until the 75th minute. Ivory Coast held 61 percent of possession during the match.

The result gave Ivory Coast an important early advantage in the group, while Ghana began its campaign with a defeat.

Other opening results

Mauritania overcame the Central African Republic 3-1 in Casablanca, Morocco, and Namibia edged Congo 1-0, with Bethuel Muzeu scoring the only goal.

Libya and Botswana shared a 2-2 draw in Tripoli. Botswana forward Tumisang Orebonye scored twice in the first half, while Libya responded with goals including one from Maruwan Alhibeeshi in the 87th minute. Ezoo El Mariamy then converted a stoppage-time penalty to rescue a point for the hosts.

The match was played behind closed doors after the stadium in Tripoli was banned because of previous supporter violence.

Cameroon defeated Comoros 3-1, while Tunisia were held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda.

For DR Congo, the victory came after the team advanced through the first phase of the World Cup for the first time. The side later came close to England in a last-32 World Cup tie in Atlanta in July.