Football

Nigeria has been drawn against Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau in the qualification race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football conducted the official draw for the tournament’s preliminary stage. The draw, which maps out the path to the 2027 AFCON finals to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, placed 48 participating countries into four pots of 12 teams each. Every qualifying group features one team from each pot, with the top two sides securing places at the continental showpiece.

Chelsea Football Club (FC) has announced Xabi Alonso as its new head coach and is set to commence his four-year contract from July 1.

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has revealed that his long-held ambition of buying English Premier League side Arsenal FC was shelved as he prioritised completing his $20 billion refinery project in Lagos. Dangote made the revelation during a podcast interview with Nicolai Tangen, which was released on Wednesday on the investment firm’s official YouTube channel.

Lionel Messi has retained his place as Major League Soccer’s top earner after agreeing to a new big-money contract with Inter Miami CF. Data published by the MLS Players Association yesterday showed that the Argentina national football team captain now receives an annual base salary of $25 million (£18.5 million), which is more than twice the earnings of any other player in the league.

President Bola Tinubu has given the green light for Nigeria to host two major continental football events — the 2026 Confederation of African Football Awards and the 48th CAF Ordinary General Assembly. The approval was announced in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, on Tuesday after Tinubu met with CAF President Patrice Motsepe at the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.

Former Manchester United F.C. midfielder Owen Hargreaves has singled out goalkeeper Senne Lammens as the club’s best signing of the season. Manchester United F.C. secured Lammens from Belgian side Royal Antwerp F.C. during last summer’s transfer window as part of a major squad rebuild.