Kenya made an emphatic start to their TotalEnergies CAF U-23 AFCON qualifying campaign with a 4-1 victory over Tanzania on Monday, while Mauritania secured a narrow 1-0 home win against DR Congo.
The two first-round first-leg encounters opened the road towards the continental finals in Egypt next year, with both Kenya and Mauritania taking valuable advantages into their return fixtures.
Kenya produced the most eye-catching result of the day as they swept aside East African rivals Tanzania at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
The hosts needed only a minute to take the lead through Paul Osama before Lawrence Okoth doubled their advantage deep into first-half stoppage time.
Captain Kevin Wangaya made it 3-0 five minutes after the restart as Kenya threatened to run away with the contest.
Tanzania responded through a Shekhan Khamis penalty in the 54th minute, but any hopes of a comeback were ended when Kelly Madada restored Kenya’s three-goal advantage with a fourth goal in the 75th minute.
The 4-1 victory leaves Kenya firmly in control of the tie ahead of the return leg in Dar es Salaam on 6 October. The winners will advance to face Côte d’Ivoire in the second round.
Mauritania also earned an important first-leg advantage after edging DR Congo 1-0 in Nouakchott.
Hamidou Diarra scored the decisive goal after only 10 minutes as the hosts held onto their slender lead for the remainder of the contest.
The result leaves the tie finely poised ahead of the return fixture at the Stade TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi on 6 October, where DR Congo will attempt to overturn the deficit.
The winners of the Mauritania-DR Congo tie will meet Nigeria in the second round as the teams continue their pursuit of a place at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2027.
Remaining fixtures:
Tuesday, 29 September 2026
13h00 GMT — Malawi v Eswatini, Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe (15h00 local)
18h00 GMT — Tunisia v Benin, Stade Olympique de Sousse, Sousse (19h00 local)
Wednesday, 30 September 2026
12h00 GMT — Djibouti v South Sudan, Juba National Stadium, Juba (15h00 local)
16h00 GMT — Togo v Libya, Stade de Kégué, Lomé (16h00 local)
16h00 GMT — Rwanda v Sudan, Kigali Pele Stadium, Kigali (18h00 local)
16h00 GMT — Angola v Namibia, Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda (17h00 local)
16h00 GMT — Zimbabwe v Mauritius, National Sports Stadium, Harare (18h00 local)
Friday, 2 October 2026
12h00 GMT — Seychelles v Botswana, Gaborone National Stadium, Gaborone (16h00 local)
Sunday, 4 October 2026
13h30 GMT — South Sudan v Djibouti, Juba National Stadium, Juba (15h30 local)
Monday, 5 October 2026
13h00 GMT — Namibia v Angola, Gaborone National Stadium, Gaborone (15h00 local)
15h00 GMT — Benin v Tunisia, Stade de Kégué, Lomé (15h00 local)
Tuesday, 6 October 2026
13h00 GMT — DR Congo v Mauritania, Stade TP Mazembe, Lubumbashi (15h00 local)
13h00 GMT — Tanzania v Kenya, Uhuru Stadium, Dar es Salaam (16h00 local)
13h00 GMT — Eswatini v Malawi, Somhlolo National Stadium, Lobamba (15h00 local)
14h00 GMT — Sudan v Rwanda, Juba National Stadium, Juba (16h00 local)
15h00 GMT — Mauritius v Zimbabwe, Côte d’Or National Sports Complex, St Pierre (19h00 local)
17h00 GMT — Libya v Togo, Misrata International Stadium, Misrata (19h00 local)
17h00 GMT — Botswana v Seychelles, Gaborone National Stadium, Gaborone (19h00 local)
SOURCE: CAF ONLINE
