Twelve years is a long time to wait. Ivory Coast, three-time AFCON champions, a nation that produced Didier Drogba and has long been considered one of Africa’s elite football powers, have been absent from the World Cup since 2014. That wait is over. And the squad they bring to North America is one that could finally, definitively, break the group stage curse that has defined every previous appearance. The Elephants ended their 12-year World Cup absence by winning their CAF qualifying group with one of the most impressive campaigns of any African nation. Unbeaten in 10 matches. Eight wins and…
Author: Lehlohonolo Scheepers
Lehlohonolo Scheepers
Lehlohonolo writes about South African sport for a living and thinks about it the rest of the time — football, rugby, cricket. Match reports, previews, profiles, the features that take a week. He is the reason ScoreLine's copy is clear, and the reason it gets checked twice before it reaches you. He supports Kaizer Chiefs, so he understands better than most that a result is never just a result. Gold and black, every weekend, no matter what the table says.
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Mohamed Salah has won everything English football has to offer. A Premier League title. A Champions League. The Golden Boot, multiple times. He has been, for the better part of a decade, one of the three best footballers on earth. The one thing missing from his national team story is a deep run at a World Cup. The 2026 tournament, Egypt’s first since 2018, is his best, and possibly last, chance to fix that. Egypt return to the global stage after an eight-year absence, arriving as one of Africa’s heavyweights with a squad built around two Premier League-calibre attackers and…
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South Africa’s URC franchises delivered a powerful statement of intent on home soil this past weekend, with both the Stormers and the Bulls producing commanding victories that have serious playoff implications as the United Rugby Championship heads into its business end. Stormers Blow Cardiff Away in Cape Town DHL Stadium was rocking on Saturday afternoon as the Stormers dismantled Cardiff Rugby 44-21 in a performance that underlined why they remain genuine contenders for URC glory. The Cape side were ruthless in their attacking intent, running in tries across the park and keeping Cardiff’s defence under relentless pressure throughout the contest.…
The United Rugby Championship reaches a critical juncture this weekend, with South African franchises front and centre as the playoff picture begins to sharpen. There is plenty at stake across four compelling fixtures, and the action gets underway on home soil before shifting across the Atlantic to Dublin and, later, Edinburgh. Bulls vs Munster – Loftus Versfeld, Saturday 30 May, 13:00 The first match of the day promises to be a blockbuster. The Bulls welcome Munster to the fortress that is Loftus Versfeld, and few venues in world rugby carry the kind of atmospheric weight that this Pretoria ground does…
The United Rugby Championship knockout stages are heating up, and this weekend delivers two mouthwatering quarter-final clashes that will go a long way to shaping who lifts the trophy this season. South African fans have plenty to shout about, with both the Bulls and the Stormers carrying the hopes of the nation into European territory on Saturday. Glasgow Warriors vs Bulls – BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh | Saturday 15:30 The Bulls travel to BT Murrayfield in Edinburgh for what promises to be a fierce, physical encounter against a Glasgow Warriors side that has been one of the form teams in the…