Nigerian referee Kasimu Abiola Abdulsalam has been selected by FIFA to officiate at the 2026 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Abdulsalam is the only Nigerian among the 81 match officials appointed for the tournament, which will run from November 19 to December 13.

The 34-year-old referee, who has been a FIFA-licensed official since 2022, is one of four centre referees selected from Africa. Eight assistant referees from the continent are also part of the officiating team.

His appointment comes four years after Nigerian match official Mimisen Iyorhe Calvin Onwuka served as an assistant referee at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.

Abdulsalam has previously officiated at two Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including the 2023 and 2026 editions.

FIFA chief refereeing officer and chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said the selected officials were among the most promising referees from their respective confederations.

“For this year’s edition, we have again brought together some of the most promising officials from every confederation,” Collina said.

“They have been selected not only for their performances, but also for their ability to work as part of an international team and meet the demands of a major FIFA tournament.”

While Abdulsalam will represent Nigeria among the match officials, the country’s Golden Eaglets will not feature at the tournament after failing to progress beyond the West Africa Football Union stage of the qualifiers.

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has taunted his critics after returning to Nigeria’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Nwabali posted a video on his Instagram Story earlier this week showing his penalty saves against Egypt stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush during Nigeria’s third-place play-off victory at AFCON 2025.

The Chippa United goalkeeper captioned the video: “I’m back, it’s time to keep crying .”

Nwabali was one of Nigeria’s standout performers as the Super Eagles defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties to claim the bronze medal, with the goalkeeper saving efforts from Salah and Marmoush. He was subsequently named Man of the Match.

His international fortunes changed after the tournament when he left Chippa United in February 2026 in search of a new club.

However, the anticipated move did not materialise, leaving Nwabali without regular competitive football and out of Nigeria’s subsequent squads.

Maduka Okoye subsequently featured for the Super Eagles, while Arthur Okonkwo also emerged as a contender after receiving his first senior Nigeria call-up following FIFA approval of his change of international allegiance.

Okonkwo impressed during the 2026 Unity Cup, keeping clean sheets in Nigeria’s victories over Zimbabwe and Jamaica.

Nwabali’s prospective return to the national team began in July when Chippa United confirmed that he had rejoined the club five months after his departure. The South African side said the goalkeeper had “taken time away” before returning to the Eastern Cape and marked his competitive return against Golden Arrows with six saves and a clean sheet, earning the Man of the Match award.

Nwabali has since continued to feature regularly for Chippa United, including a six-save display in the club’s 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns on September 12.

His return to regular club football paved the way for his Super Eagles recall, with head coach Eric Chelle naming him alongside Okoye and Okonkwo for Nigeria’s September AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

The Super Eagles host Madagascar in Uyo today, before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday.

Among several coaching changes, two in particular have caught the eye.

Herve Renard, the only man to win Afcon with two different nations, has returned to the Ivory Coast job some 11 years after leading the West Africans to the title.

The 57-year-old Frenchman started his second stint with the Elephants at home against Ghana on yesterday in what was supposedly the standout match in the first round of fixtures.

In the opposing dugout, the experienced Carlos Queiroz is back at the helm after leading the Black Stars to the last 32 at the World Cup. However, Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus is among a number of players to withdraw from his squad.

Patrick Vieira is another high-profile arrival, as the 1998 World Cup champion with France takes charge of Senegal, the country of his birth.

The former Arsenal midfielder, 50, describes the role as “an absolute dream” yet he will begin with two away games against Mozambique and Ethiopia because Dakar is getting ready to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.

Cape Verde were one of the great stories of the 2026 World Cup, pushing Argentina all the way in the last 32 before the debutants lost 3-2 after extra time.

Long-serving coach Bubista has since resigned from the Blue Sharks hotseat, with his former assistant Humberto Bettencourt stepping up.

He will begin his reign in Mali on today before hosting Rwanda on Tuesday.

Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa have also changed coaches since the World Cup.

The Tunisians have turned to former Esperance and Renaissance Berkane boss Moin Chaaban as they aim to move on from their disastrous World Cup campaign which saw Sabri Lamouchi dismissed after one game and Renard fail to orchestrate a revival.

Pitso Mosimane has been reappointed by South Africa some 14 years on from his last spell in charge, which saw Bafana Bafana miss out on the 2012 Afcon, and Brahim Hemdani has taken over Algeria after Vladmir Petkovic’s departure.

Meanwhile, Afcon legend Claude Le Roy has returned at the age of 78 after signing on for a second stint with Congo-Brazzaville.

The Red Devils have not appeared at the finals since 2015, while Frenchman Le Roy is aiming to coach at a record-extending 10th edition of the finals.

Burkina Faso have turned to ex-Comoros boss Amir Abdou and, after a stint with Libya, 2021 Afcon-winning coach Aliou Cisse has his first competitive matches in charge of Angola.

The former Senegal boss starts with a tough away assignment in Egypt.

An era ends

Some big-name players have called time on their international careers since the World Cup, with several of them former Afcon winners.

Senegal are looking for a new number one after Edouard Mendy hung up his goalkeeping gloves.

The 34-year-old helped the Teranga Lions become champions at the 2021 and 2025 tournaments, even if the latter title is still disputed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Wing wizard Riyad Mahrez, who captained Algeria to the trophy in 2019, has quit international duty while Ivory Coast will have to cope without midfielders Seko Fofana and Jean-Michael Seri.

Ellyes Skhiri has also called time on his international career and will not be involved as Tunisia aim to reach a record-extending 18th consecutive Afcon.

Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has stepped back from Gabon duty, saying he felt humiliated by his treatment after their exit at the previous tournament.

The 37-year-old was excluded from the national team set-up after their group-stage exit. That sanction was later lifted, but Aubameyang ruled himself out of Sebastien Migne’s Panthers squad despite his fine start to the season with Deportivo La Coruna.

Return of the Red Sea Camels

Elsewhere, Eritrea are back in the group stage of Afcon qualifiers, for the first time since the build-up to the 2008 edition, after seeing off Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round in March.

Chad, Djibouti, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles are the other five nations already eliminated.

However, seven Ertirea players absconded after the away leg of their tie which was held in South Africa.

Occurrences of Eritrean sportsmen and women failing to return home to what is a one-party state and a highly militarised society has long been an issue, and was part of the reason for the East Africans withdrawing from qualifying for both the 2023 Afcon and 2026 World Cup.

Yet the Red Sea Camels, who have been drawn alongside Kenya, South Africa and Guinea in Group D, are now largely relying on talent drawn from the diaspora.

Just three home-based players have been named in the squad for their opening two fixtures, which see them take on the tournament co-hosts in Nairobi on Saturday before a ‘home’ game against Bafana Bafana in Cairo on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Somalia have reached the group stage of qualifying for the first ever time but face a very tricky draw alongside Ivory Coast, Ghana and The Gambia.

The Ocean Stars are ranked 53rd on the continent but, like Eritrea, can at least dream of reaching Afcon as the tournament returns to East Africa for the first time since 1976.