The Harambee Stars of Kenya have humbled Seychelles 5-0 in a Group F match of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
After falling 3-1 to The Gambia few days ago in Nairobi, the Harambee Stars team leg by skipper Michael Olunga came all out to wallop Seychelles at the Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday.
Rambok Ryan Wesley Ogam gave the hosts the lead after 7 minutes, and Collins Sichenia made it 2-0 after 35 minutes.
The Seychelles team tried to fight back, but failed to beat the Harambe Stars defending line. Ogam netted his second goal of the day after 38 minutes, before Olunga converted a penalty five minutes onto added time.
After recess Olunga nodded in past Seychelles goalkeeper Romeo Robertson Padayachy to make it 5-0 after 67 minutes.
In Group C Amavubi Stars picked a 1-0 win away to Zimbabwe in a match played at the Orlando Stadium in the township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Rwanda claimed a valuable away victory to move level on points with second-placed Benin and keep South Africa within sight.
Gil Mugisha pounced five minutes before the break, steering home from close range after a rapid transition.
The visitors then defended stoutly, with Fiacre Ntwari’s back line managing the late aerial bombardment.
The win takes Rwanda to 11 points, level with Benin but behind on goal difference, and one ahead of Nigeria on 10 after the Super Eagles’ weekend defeat of Rwanda.
South Africa remain in control on 16, yet the battle beneath them has tightened markedly. Zimbabwe stay bottom on four points, ruing missed chances in a second half they largely controlled.
Two other teams from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Zone that were in action early in the day Ethiopia and Tanzania suffered defeats.
A 10-man Niger team defeated Tanzania 1-0 in a Group E match played at the New Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar. Niger produced the upset of the day in Dar es Salaam, pinching a 1–0 win that dents Tanzania’s grip on second.
Forward Issa Sosah settled a tight contest on 58 minutes, timing his run to meet a low cross and finish at the near post.
From there, Niger sat in a compact block and guarded their box, surviving late pressure and a flurry of set pieces.
The defeat stalls Tanzania on 10 points, leaving them with work to do in the final window to secure the section’s runners-up position.
Niger surge to nine points from six outings and, crucially, still have a game in hand on the Taifa Stars.
Morocco, already qualified, underlined their dominance earlier in the window and have since moved to 21 points after a 2–0 win in Zambia; the rest are now contesting positioning only.
Zambia, on six points, also face a chase with little margin for error.
Ethiopia suffered a 2-0 away defeat to Sierra Leone in a Group A match. Sierra Leone climbed to 12 points and strengthened their hold on third with a composed win over Ethiopia.
Musa Noah Kamara broke through eight minutes before the interval, turning in Saidu Tarawallie’s cross to settle home nerves. In added time, Alhassan Koroma finished a late break to seal the points.
The Leone Stars now trail second-placed Burkina Faso by two points and leaders Egypt by seven with two games to play. For Ethiopia, defeat leaves them on six points and facing a steep climb to reach the runners-up discussion.
Mohammed Kallon’s men have built their revival on defensive discipline — three straight matches without conceding — and they will need that platform again in a closing run-in that still offers a mathematical route to the play-off bracket.
Later tonight Sudan will play away to Togo, while South Sudan face Mauritania in Group B ties. Burundi will also be away to The Gambia in a Group F tie.
Elsewhere, Group H — Namibia 3–0 São Tomé and Príncipe: Shalulile hat-trick cements second
Peter Shalulile’s first World Cup qualifying hat-trick powered Namibia past São Tomé and Príncipe and kept the Brave Warriors in the runners-up slot behind Tunisia.
The Mamelodi Sundowns forward broke the deadlock on 41 minutes and added a second midway through the half after the restart, before completing his treble with a deft finish on 71 minutes.
With Tunisia clear at the summit after sealing World Cup qualification, Namibia’s victory was about building separation in the chase pack.
They sit second on 12 points after eight matches, one ahead of Liberia (11) and two clear of Equatorial Guinea (10), with Malawi on nine.
São Tomé remain without a point. Collin Benjamin’s side will feel the job for a play-off push is firmly alive, especially with a proven scorer in form and a defence that comfortably handled the visitors.
