AFCON 2027: Botswana snatches a 2-2 draw in Rades, Tunisia still winless
Tunisia was held to a 2-2 draw by Botswana on Monday, September 28, 2026, at the Hammadi-Agrebi Olympic Stadium in Rades, during the second matchday of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The Carthage Eagles remain winless after two matches in Group H.
A Mastouri brace not enough
It was the Zebras who struck first: Kgamanyane opened the scoring in the 38th minute in front of a stunned Tunisian crowd. Mastouri equalized just before the break in the 44th minute, then gave his side the lead in the 49th. However, Ditsele brought both teams level in the 60th minute, and the score remained unchanged, according to Match en direct.
For Botswana, coming off a draw against Libya on the first matchday, taking a point from Rades against a team accustomed to final tournaments is a significant achievement. The men from the Kalahari were able to punish a Tunisian defense caught off guard twice.
Tunisia under pressure
The match was presented in Tunisia as one for setting things right. Before kickoff, La Presse de Tunisie demanded "a complete change in behavior" following a disappointing first matchday against Uganda. The message was clearly not heard on the pitch.
Group H remains one of the most uncertain on the continent. After the first matchday, Libya, Botswana, Tunisia, and Uganda all had one point, according to Football Tunisien. This new stalemate leaves the Tunisians and the Botswanans neck-and-neck with two points each, and no one has yet won a single match in this group.
The contrast is striking given the status of the two teams. Tunisia, a regular at continental final tournaments and World Cups, must now win what it let slip away at home. Botswana, for its part, proves once again that in Africa, the predicted hierarchy does not always withstand ninety minutes of football.
The rest will play out during the upcoming international windows, with the 2027 AFCON, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, in sight. For the Carthage Eagles, the urgency is no longer for speeches but for results.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
