Africa’s nine qualified nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will discover their group-stage opponents on Friday at 19H00 Central African Time. The draw for the expanded 48-team tournament takes place in Washington DC. The ceremony, hosted at the Kennedy Centre, begins at 7 pm CAT (5 pm GMT) and marks the first major milestone in the final build-up to a World Cup that will span Canada, the United States and Mexico between 11 June and 18 July 2026. For…

It is now public knowledge that Belgian mentor Hugo Broos will be leaving Bafana Bafana to return to his homeland after next year’s FIFA World Cup. Broos, however, would still have South Africa’s interests at heart beyond the global showpiece. He has hinted at a consultancy role, but some recent call-ups would be considered great for the future of South African football. He raised some eyebrows when he called up 20-year-old center-back Tylon Smith and Shandre Campbell, who is also…

The Netball Association of Malawi has expressed delight that preparations are well underway as Malawi gets ready to host the 2025 Africa Netball Cup at the Griffin Saenda Sports Complex, Lilongwe, from 08 – 14 December 2025. The tournament, held under the leadership of Africa Netball, will bring together some of the continent’s top national teams for a true celebration of Africa’s talent, passion and unity. Nine nations, including Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia and Eswatini,…

The Springboks have been drawn with Italy, Georgia, and Romania for the pool stages of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, where they will be aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive title after lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in 2019 and France in 2023. The Boks have faced all three pool opponents in Rugby World Cups before – Romania in 1995 and 2023, Georgia in 2003, and Italy in 2019. The draw was done in Australia on…

Barely 24 hours after asking for prayers, former Jomo Cosmos and Polokwane City striker Esau Kanyenda lost the fight against cancer at the age of 43. His death appeared to have been sudden. The Malawian was always in good spirits on his official Facebook account, talking football. On Monday, however, he dropped a bombshell, and the football community was left reeling. “Hello everyone!! Just to let you know that I’m diagnosed with liver cancer here in the UK (United Kingdom).…

Major Soccer League (MLS) side Chicago Fire have confirmed the signing of defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi from Orlando Pirates. The clubs recently agreed on a transfer fee of approximately R50 million, while Mbokazi travelled to the United States for a medical and talks over personal terms. Chicago Fire announced the transfer of the 20-year-old on Tuesday afternoon. “We are excited to welcome Mbekezeli to the Club as we further strengthen our back line,” said Chicago Fire FC Director of Football and Head Coach…

KwaZulu-Natal side Durban City could be set for a reunion with German mentor Ernst Middendorp following the departure of Gavin Hunt. Middendorp, who was with the club earlier this season, is in the conversation after the decision to part ways with Hunt, who reportedly had disagreements with club boss Farook Kadodia, over the transfer dealings, amongst other things. The club had started the 2025/26 season with Middendorp serving as Technical Director, but he later left his position, with reports at…

With no major surprises, the Bafana Bafana squad heading to the Africa Cup of Nations has been unveiled. Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos announced the final 25-man squad on Monday afternoon.  The squad is largely what was predicted by African Times a few days ago. The only notable absentee is Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Themba Zwane, who’s battled injuries, as well as club teammate Iqraam Rayners, but the latter has been placed on standby, alongside Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala and…

Newly promoted club Durban City have let go of their head coach, Gavin Hunt, despite being in a comfortable eighth position almost halfway into the 2025/26 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season. Hunt’s stay with the KwaZulu-Natal club was brief; just four months into his reign, and he has reportedly had clashes with Durban City boss Farook Kadodia over issues related to transfer strategy, amongst other things. The club has formally notified Hunt that his time is up, with Durban City…

The Springboks finished the 2025 season with a 73-0 demolition of Wales in Cardiff, where they pulled away in the second half of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour Test after leading by 28-0 at the break over the weekend. With their pack again laying a superb foundation, the Boks simply had too much firepower for the Welsh, and scored 11 tries in the Test for their biggest victory of 2025. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored two tries and kicked nine conversions for…