JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – European club finals match-winners Ademola Lookman and Ayoub el Kaabi turn their attention to 2026 World Cup qualifying in Africa from tomorrow with 52 fixtures scheduled over seven days.
Lookman scored a hat-trick as Atalanta won the Europa League last month, and ended a 51-match unbeaten run by Bayer Leverkusen in domestic and international competitions.
The London-born 26-year-old could lead the Nigeria attack at home to South Africa in Uyo in a repeat of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals won by the Super Eagles on penalties.
A week after Lookman stole the show in Dublin, Moroccan El Kaabi nodded the extra-time winner for Olympiakos against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in Athens.
He will be a contender for a place in the Atlas Lions attack against Zambia in Agadir in another Cup of Nations repeat with Morocco winning 1-0 in the Ivory Coast last January.
Meanwhile, Kenya are among 17 nations who must stage home matches at neutral venues due to sub-standard venues, or security issues.
