AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Nigeria Suffer Heavy Defeat as Egypt, Morocco and Senegal Win

The race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations produced another dramatic night on Tuesday, with several of Africa's biggest nations in action across Matchday 2.

Nigeria suffered the biggest setback of the day, losing 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau, while Egypt responded emphatically with a 5-0 victory over South Sudan.

Morocco also maintained their perfect start with a 2-0 win against Lesotho, while Senegal edged Ethiopia 1-0.

Elsewhere, Ghana were stunned by Gambia after surrendering a two-goal lead, Algeria fought back from two goals down to draw with Burundi, and several other nations picked up important points in the qualifying race.

Nigeria Hit by Guinea-Bissau Shock

Nigeria's qualification campaign suffered a major blow as the Super Eagles were beaten 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau.

Franculino put the hosts ahead in the first half before Guinea-Bissau added two more goals after the break to complete a convincing victory.

The result came only days after Nigeria opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar.

Eric Chelle's side therefore leave the second round of fixtures with three points from two matches, while Guinea-Bissau strengthened their position after another victory.

The defeat gives Nigeria plenty to address before their next qualifier.

Egypt Hit Five in South Sudan

Egypt produced one of the night's most dominant performances, defeating South Sudan 5-0.

Mostafa Zico opened the scoring before Omar Marmoush took over after half-time.

The Manchester City forward scored twice, while Ibrahim Adel also found the net before Barcelona striker Hamza Abdelkarim completed the scoring in stoppage time.

It was Abdelkarim's first senior international goal for Egypt.

The result gives Egypt four points from their opening two matches after their opening draw against Angola.

Morocco Stay Perfect

Morocco continued their strong start to qualifying with a 2-0 victory over Lesotho.

Brahim Díaz opened the scoring shortly before half-time before Azzedine Ounahi added a second in the closing stages.

The Atlas Lions had already defeated Gabon in their opening fixture, meaning they now have six points from two matches.

Morocco have also kept clean sheets in both games, giving them an ideal beginning to their qualifying campaign.

Ghana Throw Away Two-Goal Lead

One of the biggest surprises came in Ghana, where the Black Stars surrendered a two-goal advantage to lose 4-2 to Gambia.

Ghana initially looked in control after goals from Ernest Nuamah and Felix Afena-Gyan.

Gambia, however, produced a remarkable turnaround, scoring four times to complete a dramatic comeback.

The result leaves Ghana with just one point from their opening two matches, while Gambia move onto six points after beginning the campaign with a victory over Somalia.

Senegal Edge Ethiopia

Algeria Rescue a Point

Algeria had to fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Burundi.

Burundi established a two-goal advantage before Algeria responded after the interval.

Mohamed El Amine Belloumi and Adil Boulbina scored for Algeria as the Desert Foxes recovered a point.

The result means Algeria remain unbeaten after two matches, although they will know there was an opportunity to take all three points.

Other Tuesday Results

The busy qualifying programme also produced several important results:

🏆 Comoros 1-0 Namibia

🏆 Mozambique 4-1 Sudan

🏆 Madagascar 1-1 Tanzania

🏆 Uganda 1-0 Libya

🏆 Zambia 2-0 Togo

🏆 Cape Verde 1-2 Rwanda

The remaining late fixtures on the Tuesday programme included Benin vs Mauritania, Gabon vs Niger, Congo vs Cameroon, Liberia vs Mali and Somalia vs Côte d'Ivoire. CAF had scheduled those matches for later kick-offs on 29 September.

The Bigger Picture

Tuesday's results have already produced some significant movement in the AFCON qualifying race.

Morocco and Gambia continued their perfect starts, Egypt recovered strongly after their opening draw, while Senegal secured their first victory.

For Nigeria and Ghana, however, the second round brought very different emotions.

Nigeria's 3-0 defeat in Guinea-Bissau leaves the Super Eagles needing a response, while Ghana's collapse against Gambia puts additional pressure on the Black Stars.

With several qualification rounds still to come, there is plenty of time for the picture to change — but Tuesday provided an early reminder that there are few straightforward nights in African international football.

Fan Debate

⚽ Goal: Which Tuesday AFCON qualifier produced the biggest talking point?

🔥 Fire: Can Nigeria recover from their 3-0 defeat and still finish strongly in their group?

😲 Shock: Did Ghana's collapse against Gambia surprise you?

👍 Like: Which African nation impressed you most?

💬 Comment: Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Gambia or another team — who caught your attention most?