The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) made it two wins from two in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group, beating Zimbabwe 2-1 in Harare on Monday, while Tunisia were held to a second home draw in four days, 2-2 against Botswana.
Yoane Wissa, the 30-year-old Newcastle United striker, put DRC ahead in the 30th minute, poking the ball in after Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze failed to hold a cross. In first-half added time Wissa's pass sent Samuel Moutoussamy through to score the second. Zimbabwe, ranked 89 places below their opponents by FIFA, improved after the break and Marshall Munetsi scored a 93rd-minute consolation. The match was Zimbabwe's first home international since November 2021, after their Harare stadium was judged unsuitable and underwent lengthy renovation. DRC top Group E with six points, having opened with a 2-0 home win over Equatorial Guinea in which Wissa also scored. Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea have three points each, and Sierra Leone have none after Equatorial Guinea beat them 1-0 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. That match was staged at a neutral venue: 11 of the 48 teams in the qualifying group stage lack an international-standard stadium and must host elsewhere.
In Group H, Tunisia's difficult year continued at Rades, near Tunis. Hazem Mastouri scored either side of half-time to put them on course for a first competitive win of 2026, after Botswana had taken the lead. But Botswana, ranked 90 places lower, equalised on the hour when substitute Lebogang Ditsele lobbed the goalkeeper. It was Botswana's second straight 2-2 draw, following a similar result in Libya on the opening matchday, and they stay top of the group on goals scored ahead of Tunisia. Tunisia had also drawn 1-1 with Uganda, who are co-hosts of the finals along with Kenya and Tanzania and have already qualified.
Elsewhere, the opening round showed few surprises among the traditional powers, though there were notable stumbles. Egypt, the seven-time African champions, were held 0-0 at home by Angola, and Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique in Patrick Vieira's first competitive match as coach. Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria and Cameroon all won their openers, and Nigeria, who beat Madagascar 2-1 after conceding first, were due to travel to Guinea-Bissau, who had won 2-0 away to Tanzania.
The results matter because places in the expanded 48-team qualifying phase are contested by groups of four or five, where a few points can decide who advances. For Tunisia, dropped points against lower-ranked opponents have made the group closer than their ranking suggests, while DRC, who reached the last 32 at the 2026 World Cup, have taken an early lead in theirs.