2026 WCQ: Tunisia mantain perfect start with win over blunt Equatorial Guinea as South Sudan earn point in Lome

Tunisia maintained their perfect start to the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in Tunis on Wednesday.

In a tightly-contested Group H encounter at the Hammadi Al-Aqrabi Stadium, Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan's 82nd-minute penalty proved the difference as the Carthage Eagles secured their third consecutive win.

Despite Equatorial Guinea dominating large portions of the match, Tunisia's experience ultimately prevailed, allowing them to claim all three points and cement their position at the top of the group standings.

The visitors came agonizingly close to securing their first points of the campaign but were ultimately undone by Ben Ramadan's cool finish from the spot.

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Tunisia, who had earlier dispatched Malawi and Sao Tome and Principe, squandered several chances to extend their lead in the closing stages, but their wastefulness mattered little in the end as they held on for a crucial victory.

With nine points from three matches, the Carthage Eagles hold a two-point advantage over second-placed Namibia, whom they face in a crucial clash on Sunday.

For Tunisia, the win will provide a much-needed boost after their disappointing showing at the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, where they exited at the group stage without a victory.

As they continue their pursuit of a seventh World Cup appearance and third in succession, the Carthage Eagles will take confidence from their resolute performance against a determined Equatorial Guinea outfit.

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Meanwhile in other fixtures on Wednesday, Togo were held to a 1-1 draw at home by a resilient South Sudan side.

The hosts took the lead just after the hour mark when Khaled Narey fired them into the lead, but their joy was short-lived as Roger Aholou silenced the home supporters in the 68th minute to level matters as they escaped with a point.

With this result, Togo is fourth in Group B, with South Sudan at fifth.

Central African Republic 1-0 Chad

Geoffrey Kondogbia’s solitary first half strike in the 29th minute was enough for Central African Republic to edge Chad 1-0.

The results moves them to third on the table, as Chad remain rooted at the bottom.

Namibia 1-1 Liberia

A good start for the Brave Warriors of Namibia ended in disappointed as they surrendered a lead to share the spoils against Liberia.

Tijpe Karuuombe’s opener in the eighth minute put the Namibians in the driving seat, but a lapse in concentration in the 65th minute saw the Liberians level matters to salvage a point on the road.

Sierra Leone 2-1 Djibouti

Sierra Leone were made to sweat for victory on Wednesday after initially taking a lead in the opening stages of the match through former Aston Villa player Curtis Davies only for Djibouti to pull one back in just before the break.

The West African side kept their heads high and continued pressing forward to be rewarded with a hard fought 2-1 victory.