The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Wednesday that Morocco’s capital Rabat will host the 2026 African World Cup qualifying play-offs between Cameroon, the Democratic of Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria.
On November 13 in a matchup featuring Marseille’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Turkish international Victor Osimhen, Nigeria will face Gabon in the first semi-final.
In a group game this month, Osimhen scored a hat-trick to help Nigeria advance to the play-offs against Burkinabe on goal difference while defeating Burkinabe.
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Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick for Benin Republic. X/@NGSuperEagles
DR Congo will face Cameroon, who has eight World Cup appearances, which is an African record on November 13.
Bryan Mbeumo, who scored a brace against Brighton last weekend to put Manchester United in sixth place in the Premier League, is likely to play in this semi-final.
DR Congo hopes to win a second place finish. When Zaire won the 1974 World Cup and suffered three losses, including a 9-0 thrashing by Yugoslavia, the nation was known as Zaire.
The mini tournament winners advance to the intercontinental play-offs for the six nations in March at a location that has not been determined. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will be competing for two spots in the World Cup.
The tournament will feature places for Bolivia and New Caledonia, Iraq or the UAE will represent Asia, and Curacao and Costa Rica will take the top two Caribbean/Central American slots.
Semi-finals
Nov 13 – Gabon v Nigeria (1600 GMT), Cameroon v DR Congo (1900 GMT)
The growing crisis at Anfield was compounded by Crystal Palace’s 3-0 win in the fourth round on Wednesday, which caused Liverpool to be eliminated from the League Cup.
In all competitions, Ismaila Sarr’s side have lost six games, including their first two victories, while Yeremy Pino scored the third.
Ismaila Sarr, a Senegalese midfielder for Crystal Palace, applauds the fans following their fourth-round English League Cup game between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England, on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS/AFP)
As he gave Liverpool’s crucial games against Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City priority over the upcoming two weeks, Slot selected a weaker team.
However, Liverpool’s humiliating result came right after a 3-2 defeat at Brentford on Saturday, which added to their spluttering Premier League title defense.
The Reds are seven points clear of Arsenal in their final four league games.
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Arne Slot, the Dutch manager of Liverpool, reacts following the Liverpool and Crystal Palace football team’s fourth-round encounter at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England, on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS/AFP)
Losing six out of seven is not in line with Liverpool standards, Slot said. However, there are only two days to rest before moving on to the next one, two days to rest between Real Madrid and Man City.
Everyone has a different opinion, but I’ve made the decision because we have about 15 to 16 first team players available.
“We already had a lot of pressure to deal with three very challenging teams this week.”
Liverpool’s fall from grace has been stunning despite criticism of their defensive woes and the poor form of their biggest-money signings, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
As Slot made ten changes and fielded teenagers Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha, and Isak, Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk all without.
FA Cup holders Palace have now defeated Liverpool three times in just 80 days, a gamble that never seemed to work.
In the Premier League, they defeated the Reds 2-1 on penalties in the Community Shield.
In a bid to revive Liverpool, Slot changed to a back three, but Joe Gomez’s error saw Sarr fire home from 12 yards in the 41st minute.
On October 29, 2025, Liverpool and Crystal Palace’s Spanish midfielder #10 Yeremy Pino (R) celebrates scoring the team’s third goal at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England, during the English League Cup fourth round football match. (Photo by Paul ELLIS/AFP)
Sarr, a Senegalese winger, scored from Pino’s pass in front of the shell-shocked Kop to increase Palace’s lead at half-time.
Amara Nallo, a substitute for Liverpool’s Amara Nallo, was shown a professional foul on Justin Devenny in the 79th minute.
In the 88th minute, Pino scored Palace’s third goal to secure a place in the Arsenal final eight.
Man City survives the scare
On October 29, 2025, Manchester City’s Egyptian striker #07 Omar Marmoush (L) celebrates scoring the team’s second goal at the Swansea City vs. Manchester City football match in South Wales’ Swansea.com stadium. (Photo by AFP photographer JUSTIN TALLIS)
Holders Newcastle defeated Tottenham 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals at St James’ Park.
Newcastle’s opener was headed by Fabian Schar from Sandro Tonali’s corner in the 24th minute, and Nick Woltemade headed in from Jacob Ramsey’s cross in the 50th minute.
Manchester City defeated second-place Swansea 3-1 to reach the quarter-finals at home to Brentford.
Goncalo Franco’s 12th-minute goal gave City a 1-0 lead over Aston Villa last week, which made 10 changes.
City were level in the 39th minute thanks to Jeremy Doku’s deflected strike, and Omar Marmoush scored in the 77th before Rayan Cherki’s stoppage-time effort made the comeback.
At the Emirates Stadium in London on October 29, 2025, Arsenal’s English midfielder #22 Ethan Nwaneri (C) celebrates scoring the opening goal with Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder #23 Mikel Merino (2R) and Arsenal’s English midfielder #49 Myles Lewis-Skelly (R). Adrian Dennis/AFP photo
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal defeated Brighton 2-0 to claim eight straight victories, winning the League Cup for the first time since 1993.
With 14 minutes left, Ethan Nwaneri fired into the bottom corner with a close strike from Ethan Nwaneri.
Max Dowman, the youngest starter at Arsenal ever at the age of 15, was 302 days old, according to manager Mikel Arteta, who added: “It’s definitely something special.
He has demonstrated incredible skill to pass players at the age of 15 against him.
After winning 4-3 at struggling Wolves, Chelsea’s understudy will travel to third-tier Cardiff in the last eight.
On October 29, 2025, Chelsea’s English midfielder #11 Jamie Gittens celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal with Chelsea’s Argentinian midfielder #08 Enzo Fernandez at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England. (Photo by Darren Staples/AFP)
For Chelsea, Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Estevao Willian, and Jamie Gittens each scored, with Toluwalase Arokodare and David Wolfe scoring twice before giving the win.
Chelsea’s manager Enzo Maresca called Liam Delap “stupid” and “embarrassing” after he was sent off in the 86th minute for two bookings.
Bayern Munich’s 4-1 victory at Cologne on Wednesday helped them break the record for 14 consecutive victories in the German Cup second round.
With 22 goals in 14 games this season, Kane’s opener, incredible curling strike on the turn, and second-half header.
The 20-time German Cup winners also had scoring opportunities with wings Luis Diaz and Michael Olise.
Bayern fell for the first time in a game this year when Cologne’s Ragnar Ache scored the opener.
The previous best record in Europe’s top five leagues was broken by Bayern’s victory in the 1992-93 season-opening victory over the record of 13 victories won by Fabio Capello’s AC Milan.
In Bayern’s record-breaking run, Kane, the in-form England captain, has scored two hat-tricks and six braces but has failed to score in two of the previous 14 games.
In a 10-man Paderborn victory, Bayer Leverkusen won 4-2 after the 120-minute mark with two goals.
The 2024 German domestic double winners had a frustrating night until Ibrahim Maza, 19, saved Leverkusen’s blushes against their second-division rivals, who had not lost since August.
With Cologne pressing for an equaliser, Aleix Garcia boosted the outcome.
Alejandro Grimaldo’s 60th-minute free kick for Leverkusen, his fourth dead-ball goal this season, was stopped when Paderborn’s Stefano Marino scored in regular time.
Sven Michel gave Paderborn the lead after 96 minutes when they were reduced to 10 men before the hour for a last-man foul that resulted in Grimaldo’s free kick.
However, just before the extra-time break, former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah scored the winning goal.
Leverkusen, who defeated Stuttgart 2-0 at Mainz thanks to goals from Luca Jaquez and Atakan Karazor, will join them in the 2023-24 series.
With six minutes left, center-back Jaquez rose high to head home. After Germany’s midfielder Angelo Stiller’s cunning dummy fooled the home defense, Karazor blasted in on the counter with 73 minutes left.
Loris Karius, a former Liverpool goalkeeper, was disappointed when Darmstadt defeated his Schalke side 4-0 to put up another disappointing performance.
Borussia Dortmund, Hertha Berlin, RB Leipzig, Hamburg, St Pauli, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Holstein Kiel, and Bochum join Wednesday’s other winners in the last 16.
The Nigeria Women’s Premier League (NWFL) Super 6 will be hosted by the Rivers State government for the 2019/2026 campaign.
The decision is seen as yet another bold move to promote the development of women’s football in the state and throughout Nigeria.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Chris Green, who represented Governor Siminalayi Fubara, praised the league management for organizing the event for the first time at the AGM of the NWFL held in Port Harcourt.
When the season is over, Rivers State will not only host but also deliver a world-class Super 6 championship, according to Green, who reiterated the state’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote the development of women’s football.
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He emphasized the need for collaboration between all stakeholders to ensure the game’s continued expansion and sustainability and referred to women’s football as a significant component of Nigeria’s sporting identity.
The head of women’s football at the Nigerian Football Federation, Aisha Falode, praised the NWFL board’s resilience in running the women’s league and pledged the NFF’s assistance in resolving the persistent calendar irregularities that have plagued the competition.
Falode also urged the women’s league organization to work together and create a brand that will entice more business to play the game, speaking on behalf of the NFF president.
Vinicius, a Brazilian forward, has publicly apologized to Real Madrid for his outcry following his furious substitution during the tense 2-1 win over arch-rival Barcelona over the weekend.
After being hauled off in the 72nd minute and being replaced by Rodrygo, Vinicius protested with coach Xabi Alonso and marched off down the tunnel.
In his apology, Vinicius did not mention the Real Madrid coach.
“I apologize to all Madrid fans for my behavior following today’s substitution at the Clasico.” The 25-year-old apologized to his teammates, club, and president after doing it in person during today’s training, just as he has already done in person.
“Sometimes, I get too excited because I always want to win and support my team.” The passion I have for this organization and everything it stands for has given me a competitive nature. I’ve said to myself, “I promise to keep fighting every second for Real Madrid’s sake,” Vincius said.
The player did make a comeback to the pitch-side to watch the game and was involved in a fight with Lamine Yamal, a star of Barcelona.
After the game, Alonso stated that Vinicius’ huff would be resolved in the dressing room.
After the match finished 1-1, Borussia Dortmund defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 4-2 on penalties to claim the title of the second-round of the German Cup.
Fabio Silva, Niklas Suele, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Felix Nmecha scored all-clear penalties for Dortmund, while Fares Chaibi and Ritsu Doan both missed penalties.
After seven minutes, Dortmund’s Mario Goetze and Ansgar Knauff, both cup winners, combined to give the home side a lead. Knauff fired home after Goetze threaded the ball through the Dortmund defense.
Three minutes later, Dortmund responded with a deft tap in from close range from Julian Brandt.
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In the extra time that followed, Germany’s Jonathan Burkardt scored in the 115th minute to make matters worse, but the offside penalty prevented the match.
Can Uzun and former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi both converted for Frankfurt in the shootout, but Doan blasted his shot over the bar.
Chaibi had to convert Frankfurt’s fourth kick to make it a chance, but he blasted straight at Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel to send the visitors to the final 16.
We have a strong penalty shooter and a sensational goalie. Brandt told reporters, “It feels nice.”
The match featured former Borussia coach Niko Kovac in the Frankfurt dugout and a replay of the 2017 German Cup final, which Dortmund won with a score of 2-1.
Johan Bakayoko and Christoph Baumgartner both scored doubles for RB Leipzig, who twice won at home to Energie Cottbus.
Borussia Moenchengladbach defeated Karlsruhe 3-1 at home, while Bochum defeated top-flight Augsburg 1-0 away.
In other matches, Hertha Berlin defeated Elversberg 3-0 in the German capital, Hamburg defeated Wolfsburg 1-0 in second-division Holstein Kiel to beat hosts Wolfsburg 1-0 in Heidenheim, and Hamburg defeated Elversberg 3-0 in the German capital.
