Zimbabwe produced the biggest comeback of Thursday night’s TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying action, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat Sierra Leone 3-2 in a dramatic encounter.
The result highlighted an eventful opening round of qualifiers, with Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda also securing important results as teams began their campaigns for places at the 2027 continental tournament.
Zimbabwe appeared to be heading towards a disappointing opening result after Sierra Leone established a two-goal advantage. However, the Warriors mounted a remarkable second-half response, scoring three times to complete one of the night’s most memorable comebacks.
The victory gives Zimbabwe an important early boost in the qualification race and demonstrates the significance of maintaining composure even when matches appear to be slipping away.
Sierra Leone, meanwhile, will be left to reflect on a match in which a commanding position ultimately turned into defeat.
In Cameroon, the Indomitable Lions began their campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Comoros on home soil.
Cameroon took advantage of home support to establish control of the contest and secure three points from their opening fixture.
The result provides the Central African side with an encouraging start as it seeks to navigate the qualifying campaign and secure another appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Comoros, who have emerged as an increasingly competitive force in African football in recent years, will now have to regroup ahead of their next qualifying fixture.
In Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire also opened their campaign with victory, defeating a depleted Ghana side 2-0.
The Elephants entered the encounter among the teams expected to challenge strongly during the qualification process and produced a result that underlined their ambitions.
Ghana’s depleted squad faced a difficult assignment away from home, with the two-goal defeat leaving the Black Stars needing a response in their subsequent matches.
The result also adds significance to the next fixtures in the group, as Ghana will look to recover points and strengthen its position in the qualification standings.
Elsewhere, Uganda secured a valuable 1-1 draw against Tunisia in Radès.
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The Cranes travelled to Tunisia for a difficult away assignment but emerged with a point after an evenly contested encounter.
For Uganda, the result represents a potentially important contribution to its qualification campaign, particularly given the difficulty of collecting points on Tunisian soil.
Thursday’s four matches therefore produced a mixture of comeback drama, home victories and an away draw, setting an early competitive tone for the road to AFCON 2027.
With the qualifying campaign still in its early stages, the opening results provide only an initial indication of how the groups could develop. Teams will now turn their attention to upcoming fixtures, with every point becoming increasingly important as the race for qualification gathers pace.
