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Mozambique league kick-off date announced amid changes
After missing two kick-off dates due to financial challenges, a latest schedule for 2026 Mozambique’s Moçambola League has been announced amid changes.
The Mozambican Football League (MFL) has announced that the 14-member league will get underway on 1 May 2026 with away teams now to play two games to cut costs, according to opais.co.mz. albergomalica.it
Moçambola has faced severe operational challenges emanating from unsustainable club debts and logistical challenges due to the long distances between provinces which make it difficult for clubs to travel by road to fulfil fixtures.
To address the logistical challenges, MFL and national flag carrier Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LMA) have entered into an agreement to fly the clubs which has since been given Club Licensing pre-conditions to fulfil.
The league’s president Alberto Simango Júnior is quoted as having confirmed the agreement and the new schedule for the 2026 season. The league was initially supposed to kick off on 28 March then it was shifted to 4 April.
The delays were due to LMA and MFL lengthy discussions on the cost of the partnership ranging from 118 million to 236 million meticais.
“The talks are evolving and we believe in an outcome that makes the championship viable. More important than meeting dates is ensuring that the race runs without interruptions,” Simango Júnior is quoted saying.
Know changes made to Moçambola league
Among other changes, a travelling team will now be playing two or more opponents from the same province on a particular weekend to reduce air ticket costs.
Teams have until April 22, 2026, deadline to pay a registration fee pegged at 150,000.00 MT, upon presentation of proof of clean account. Therefore, each team can only be registered after clearing all debts.
Giants such as defending champions União Desportiva do Songo and Costa do Sol are among the clubs that have struggled to comply with the regulations.
The changes have been made in the wake of the crisis experienced last season when Moçambola ended abruptly with three rounds of games remaining due to lack of funds.
Meanwhile, a draw for the Moçambola 2026 will takes place this Saturday in Maputo on the sidelines of MFL general assembly.
Confirmed Moçambola participating clubs
Southern zone
Black Bulls, Costa do Sol, Ferroviário de Maputo, Maxaquene, Associação Desportiva de Vilankulo
Central Zone
União Desportiva de Songo, Chingale de Tete, Ferroviário da Beira, Liga Desportiva de Sofala
Northern Zone
Ferroviário de Nampula, Ferroviário de Nacala, Ferroviário de Lichinga, Baía de Pemba and Associação Desportiva de Pemba.
Junior Boks call up hooker replacement
Junior Boks coach Kevin Foote has made an injury-enforced change to his squad for the U20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha.
Hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele (ankle injury) has been replaced by Mahle Sithole.
“Injuries are unfortunately part of the game, and we want to wish Esethu well with his recovery,” said Foote. “He is one of our leaders in the group and has a lot of experience of the Junior Boks set-up.
“However, his injury has now given Mahle a great chance to showcase his abilities, and I am sure he is excited about his call-up.”
MORE: URC stars in Junior Boks squad
SA U20 are the reigning world champions, having won the competition in Italy last year, but have yet to taste success in the Sanzaar competition.
New Zealand won the opening two editions of the U20 Rugby Championship, which was launched in 2024.
The Junior Boks open their campaign against Argentina on Monday, 27 April at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, with defending champions New Zealand taking on Australia in the other fixture.
WATCH: Sizzling Siyaya shows he belongs
Foote said the squad, which includes several members of last year’s world-title-winning group, is eager to make a strong impression on home soil.
“We are all excited to be here and are looking forward to the week’s training and our participation against the best teams in the southern hemisphere,” he said.
“We will complete our final preparations in Gqeberha before our opening match against Argentina.”
2026 U20 Rugby Championship Fixtures (SA times)
Round 1, 27 April
New Zealand vs Australia (2pm)
South Africa vs Argentina (4:10pm)
Round 2, 3 May
New Zealand vs Argentina (2pm)
South Africa vs Australia (4:10pm)
Round 3, 9 May
Argentina vs Australia (2pm)
South Africa vs New Zealand (4:10pm)
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Junior Boks call up hooker replacement appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Genia: Recall Kerevi to counter Bok power
Will Genia says a powerful midfield combination of Samu Kerevi and Joseph Suaalii could be decisive for the Wallabies at the 2027 World Cup.
Genia believes Australia need size and physicality to compete with the world’s best, pointing to the dominance of teams like back-to-back world champions the Springboks and France.
“You can imagine having someone like him [Kerevi] at 12 and Suaalii at 13. You’ve got size, you’ve got power, you’ve got skill, finesse and ability all packaged in one centre pairing,” the former Wallabies captain told AAP in Japan.
“Because when I look at Test rugby, size matters. It’s done a bit of a cycle now where ball in play isn’t as high. The ball-in-play time, it’s shorter, sharper bursts, which lends itself to bigger athletes and more power athletes than it used to.”
Pointing to the Boks and Six Nations champions France, Genia added: “They use their physicality and their presence in the game to be able to win collisions and play on top of teams.”
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Kerevi, currently starring in Japan, has not featured for Australia since 2024, but Genia insists the 32-year-old remains a world-class option.
“And so you can imagine having a team with a backline like Kerevi and Joseph, ‘Marky’ Mark [Nawaqanitawase]. The size they would offer them and the impact they would have. That’d be awesome to see.”
However, Genia added that a recall should come with a return to the intensity of Super Rugby.
“He’s of that world-class calibre, but it’s important to be playing Super Rugby,” he said. “So you’d want him to have that intensity under his belt leading into a World Cup.”
Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
The post Genia: Recall Kerevi to counter Bok power appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
ALG : Aboukebir, Ibrir, Doudou, Boubekeur, Benbot et … Beara
Ils sont nombreux, ceux qui, devant le petit écran, ont regretté la retraite internationale du gardien de but de l’USM Alger, Oussama Benbot, tant il a été brillant et décisif contre la formation marocaine de Safi en demi-finale de la Coupe de la Confédération (CDC). Il a été sans conteste l’artisan de la qualification de son équipe en finale en brisant les attaques adverses avec brio. Devant l’agressivité des joueurs adverses, qui multipliaient les provocations sur les balles aériennes, il est resté zen et maître de sa surface de réparation, tout en encourageant du geste et de la voix ses coéquipiers dans les moments difficiles.
Si le sélectionneur des Verts, Vladimir Petkovic, et son adjoint chargé des portiers ont suivi le match, ils doivent certainement avoir des regrets. Oussama Benbot a montré qu’il était de la lignée des grands gardiens de but que l’Algérie a produits, tel le premier gardien considéré comme le meilleur en Afrique du Nord durant les années, Aboukebir Baghdad champion d’oranie avec l’USM; Oran en 1933, l’ex-Mouloudéen d’Alger, Abderrahmane Ibrir (notre photo), qui a été retenu en équipe de France à plusieurs reprises, sous les couleurs de Toulouse à la fin des années 1940, Boubekeur Abderahmane de l’AS Monaco, Doudou de l’USM Annaba, Dey Mokhtar de l’USM Bel-Abbès, et l’ASM Oran, finaliste de la Coupe d’Afrique du Nord en 1956, de Mehdi Cerbah et bien d’autres encore.
Sur le plan international, Petkovic (aujourd’hui 62 ans) n’était certainement pas né quand la légende yougoslave, Vladimir Beara, était l’idole de tout un peuple. Surnommé «le danseur de ballet aux mains d’acier», il était considéré comme l’un des meilleurs gardiens de but du monde des années 1950. Le Soviétique Lev Yachine, un des rares portiers à obtenir le Ballon d’or en 1963, avait déclaré que la récompense devait revenir plutôt à Beara. Le gardien aux trois Coupes du monde 1950-1954-1958 a remporté, avec le Cameroun, un titre continental comme entraîneur. Ce que l’actuel sélectionneur des Verts n’a pas encore dans son palmarès.
Bref, devant Safi, Oussama Benbot, tout juste âgé de 31 ans, est entré dans la légende du football continental, et il a montré qu’il était le meilleur gardien de sa génération. Il lui reste encore quelques années avant de ranger ses gants dans un placard. Et tout comme le monumental gardien du Bayern Munich, Manuel Neuer (40 ans), il est déjà un leader au niveau des vestiaires, et il jouit de la part de ses coéquipiers d’un grand respect.
– AB. LAHOUARI
L’article ALG : Aboukebir, Ibrir, Doudou, Boubekeur, Benbot et … Beara est apparu en premier sur Foot Afrique.
Barbra Banda tells Zambia how to qualify for FIFA Women’s World Cup
Zambia women’s national team captain Barbra Banda has revealed how the Copper Queens can secure their place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Orlando Pride forward was reacting to Zambia’s performance during the just concluded FIFA Women’s Series in Brazil. The Copper Queens played three matches, managing a 1-1 draw against South Korea, and losing to Canada, and Brazil.
IT ENDS 1-1 AT THE ARENA PANTANAL!#WeAreCopperQueens, #Fazfootball, #FIFAseries2026 pic.twitter.com/glPXTtvCmG
— FAZ (@FAZFootball) April 18, 2026
The Copper Queens had something to smile about despite having finished fourth at the FIFA Series Brazil 2026 tournament. After their 1-1 draw with South Korea that saw Banda take her tally to two goals at the tournament, the Copper Queens were awarded medals at the Arena Pantanal.
Zambia need to prepare adequately
“For us to go back to the World Cup, it will take a lot because we need to build our team very well,” said Banda. “We need to prepare adequately going into the WAFCON because those are the games that are going to determine if we’re going to qualify.
“We just need good preparations. We need an early camp, proper team organisation and everything. The team is there — we have quality players — all we need is good preparation.”
The striker, who scored both of Zambia’s goals during the tournament, also reflected on the value of competing against top-ranked opposition.
“The quality of games that we played are very good for us because these are high-profile teams that we are supposed to learn from. From my experience, I’ve learned from each of the teams we’ve faced.”
Banda added: “Not the result we wanted, but I think we’ve done well. We dominated the game and just need to concentrate more in key moments.”
With the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations looming, Banda has called for unity and continued support from fans as Zambia aim to build towards another historic World Cup appearance.
“To the fans, please continue supporting us,” she said. “We’ll keep working hard and surely get good results.”
Zambia finished fourth in Brazil
Zambia fell 4-0 to Canada before suffering a 6-1 loss to hosts Brazil and wound up with a 1-1 draw with South Korea.
The Copper Queens were using the FIFA Series tournament as part of preparation for the Women Africa Cup of Nations to be played in July/August in Morocco with top four teams qualifying for the FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Brazil.
The ‘FIFA Series’, a friendly tournament directly organized by FIFA to activate intercontinental exchange, officially launched this year after a pilot run in 2024.
The women’s division of this tournament is held in four countries: Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Thailand, and Kenya. Korea was invited by Brazil, the host of next year’s Women’s World Cup.