At the centre of the controversy, Emilio Nsue
* From games played last November against Namibia 1-0 and Liberia also 1-0 with Nsue scoring the goals
* The qualifying matches must be forfeited as 3-0 losses and drops Equatorial Guinea into last place in Group H
* Ahead of their games against Tunisia on June 5 in Rades before meeting Malawi Flames at home in Malabo on June 10
By Graham Dunbar, Associated Press in Geneva, Switzerland & Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
For the second time, Equatorial Guinea — who are in Group H of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifiers alongside Malawi, Tunisia, Namibia and São Tomé e Principe — must forfeit two World Cup qualifying games for fielding star player Emilio Nsue when he was ineligible, FIFA announced Friday last week.
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FIFA said its disciplinary committee ruled that Equatorial Guinea’s first two World Cup 2026™ qualifying games last November must be forfeited as 3-0 losses — against Namibia 1-0 and Liberia also 1-0, with Nsue scoring the goals.
The decision drops Equatorial Guinea at the bottom of Group H in which they had been tied on six points with group leaders Tunisia at six points apiece. Together with São Tomé e Principe, the have been recorded as having no goals in their two games and without a point.
Namibia and Tunisia share six points apiece and both have same goal difference of five while Liberia and Malawi Flames also tie on three points but are now 3rd and 4th respectively as they are separated by goal difference.
The second FIFA disciplinary case involving Nsue’s eligibility comes 11 years after the first and adds to a series of ineligible player cases involving Equatorial Guinea national teams.
The latest ruling against Nsue was announced just four months after he was the top scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023, where he was permitted to play by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The ruling writes another chapter in an increasingly bizarre international career for the 34-year-old Nsue, who was born in Spain and has played for clubs in England, Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He played briefly in the Premier League for Middlesbrough in the 2016-17 season and in 2013, FIFA did not specify why Nsue, then playing in Spain for Mallorca, was ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea in qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
FIFA rules allow players to claim national eligibility if they or a parent or grandparent were born on a territory, or in some cases when a player has been resident for at least five years.
On Friday, FIFA also did not specify the breach of eligibility rules but said its judges were “comfortably satisfied that the player was ineligible.”
FIFA has jurisdiction over the World Cup but not continental competitions like the CAF AFCON where Nsue scored five goals in January during the group stages, including two in a stunning 4-0 win over hosts Côte d’Ivoire but were eliminated in the Round of 16.
CAF included Nsue in its Best XI of the tournament in February and said with his Golden Boot award he joined a list of elite goal scorers including Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba who got the honor in their careers.
FIFA fined the Equatorial Guinea soccer federation 150,000 Swiss francs (US$164,000) and banned Nsue from playing for any national team for six months.
Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea date Tunisia on Wednesday, June 5 in Rades before meeting Malawi at home in Malabo on Monday, June 10 for the Matchday 3 & 4.
The Flames will first host São Tomé e Principe at Bingu National Stadium on Thursday, June 6 Namibia will meet Liberia on neutral venue in Johannesburg, South Africa.
On Sunday, June 9, São Tomé e Principe will face Liberia on a neutral venue in Oudja, Morocco as Namibia host Tunisia again in Johannesburg.
The qualifying matches started in November in which the Flames beat Liberia 1-0 away in Monrovia before losing by same margin against Tunisia here at home.
Tunisia gained their six points from 4-0 win over São Tomé e Principe 4-0 and the 1-0 away win against the Flames 1-0 with Namibia seeing off São Tomé 2-0.
The next qualifying matches will be in 2025 (March, September, October and November).
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Meanwhile, tickets for the game against São Tomé are available in various outlets with Lilongwe at filling stations of City Centre PUMA, Likuni Discount Shop by Likuni Energem, Maula PUMA, Kafoteka, Kawale Energem, Area 23 PUMA & Walkers Total.
Others are at Area 25 Chipiku, Area 18 Red & White meat butchery, Acres Gateway Mall, R.K. Shop opposite BNS and at BNS’ Corporate Box 18.
In Blantyre, they are available at filling stations of Limbe Market Total, Ndirande Energem, Blantyre Haile Selassie Total and Kameza PUMA while Mzuzu is at Katoto PUMA.
Standard ticket is at K4,000 advance & K5,000 on match day, VIP at K20,000, Corporate Box at K30,000 while car pass is at K500.
São Tomé are ranked 188 as of April’s FIFA Rankings while the Flames are at 125 with the Green & Yellows’ highest FIFA ranking at 115 in 2022 and Malawi at 53 in 1992.
São Tomé
In February and March, South Sudan edged out São Tomé in the preliminary round of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 after 1-1 result from both legs with South Sudan qualifying for the next round through an away goal rule.
The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ is through a complex qualification as the finals — to be hosted jointly by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada — will have 48 participating countries instead of the conventional 32 giving an advantage for Africa to field more teams.
The top team from each group after Match Day 10 shall earn an automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals and additionally, the four best second-placed teams from all nine groups will engage in a continental playoff, determining a single victor who will then proceed to a second and final playoff.
This final stage will comprise six teams from various confederations, with the top two emerging as qualified participants, ultimately making up the 48 competing teams.
* Graham Dunbar is an Associated Press sports news reporter in Geneva, Switzerland, who focuses on the governing bodies, institutions and politics of international sports
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