Egypt open their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign against Angola + a packed UEFA Nations League weekend

⚽ We’re in for a busy slate on the international football front this weekend, with AFCON qualifiers kicking off and the UEFA Nations League getting underway.

💡 All fixtures will be broadcast on beIN Sports. Check the full schedule here.

Tonight’s fixtures

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying group stage begins tonight, with a slew of fixtures to watch. The tournament will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, and every group victor and runner-up advances.

What we’re watching tonight:

• Namibia vs. Congo — 4pm;
• DR Congo vs. Equatorial Guinea — 7pm;
• Libya vs. Botswana — 7pm;
• Mauritania vs. Central Africa — 7pm;
• Cameroon vs. Comoros — 10pm;
• Ivory Coast vs. Ghana — 10pm;
• Sierra Leone vs. Zimbabwe — 10pm;
• Tunisia vs. Uganda — 10pm.

Also tonight, UEFA Nations League Matchday 1 gets underway across Europe. The pick of the evening for football fans:

• The Netherlands vs. Germany — 9:45pm;
• Norway vs. Denmark — 9:45pm;
• Portugal vs. Wales — 9:45pm;
• Serbia vs. Greece — 9:45pm;
• Kosovo vs. Ireland — 9:45pm.

Tomorrow’s fixtures

AFCON qualifiers continue, headlined by the match we’ll all be tuning into: Egypt vs. Angola at 10pm on beIN Sports 1. The Pharaohs are in Group B alongside Angola, Malawi, and South Sudan, and a W tomorrow is the expected outcome against an opponent they should have the depth to handle.

Morocco also take the pitch tomorrow, facing Gabon at 10pm on beIN Sports 3. Cape Verde — the World Cup debutants who pushed Argentina to extra time before bowing out — face Mali at the same time on beIN Sports Extra 1. Algeria meet Zambia also at 10pm on beIN Sports 4.

Other AFCON qualifiers on our radar:

• Senegal vs. Mozambique — 4pm;
• Sudan vs. Ethiopia — 4pm;
• Tanzania vs. Guinea Bissau — 4pm;
• Gambia vs. Somalia — 7pm;
• Malawi vs. South Sudan — 7pm;
• Nigeria vs. Madagascar — 7pm.

In the UEFA Nations League tomorrow evening, Italy face Belgium at 9:45pm on beIN Sports 6, France take on Turkey at the same time on beIN Sports English 1, and Sweden meet Romania on beIN Sports English 2. Other fixtures worth noting:

• Armenia vs. Latvia — 7pm;
• Poland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina — 9:45pm;
• Hungary vs. Ukraine — 9:45pm.

Saturday’s fixtures

Saturday is lighter on the AFCON front, with just two qualifiers: Kenya vs. Eritrea and South Africa vs. Guinea, both at 4pm.

The Nations League takes over the rest of the day, headlined by England vs. Spain at 9:45pm — the two World Cup hard-hitters. Other fixtures:

• Scotland vs. Slovenia — 4pm;
• Bulgaria vs. Luxembourg — 7pm;
• Iceland vs. Estonia — 7pm;
• San Marino vs. Finland — 7pm.

🥅 ICYMI-

IN FOOTBALL NEWS- PSG’s Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape after France’s highest court rejected his appeal on Wednesday. The Court of Cassation confirmed that the Moroccan international — who played for Morocco in the World Cup this summer — will face the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department. Hakimi had appealed a June ruling referring him for trial, but the court found no grounds to accept it. No trial date has been set.