World Cup (Q): Excellent Liberia batter Namibian hopes in Paynesville

An inspired performance from Liberia saw the hosts keep their faint 2026 World Cup hopes alive with Thursday’s 2-0 victory against Namibia in action from Group H in qualifying from the CAF region.

The Lone Star showed their full potential by scoring twice inside the opening ten minutes at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, a blow from which the Brave Warriors of Namibia never recovered. Ayouba Kosiah put the hosts ahead in the third minute with a penalty kick after Nicholas Andrews was tripped up in the penalty area.

It only got worse for the visitors, who were in desperate need of a victory to boost their qualifying hopes. A clever pass sent in Mamadu Bah down the right wing and Namibia goalkeeper Kamaijanda Ndisiro made a poor decision to come out, allowing Bah to go around and finish into an unguarded net.

The match activity died down substantially in the second half before each team scored late on, with Edward Ledlum’s curling effort the highlight to conclude an excellent victory for the hosts.

Namibia now must win away at already qualified Tunisia on Monday to have any chance at finishing as one of the best four group runners-up to advance to the Second Round regional playoff. The situation is the same for Liberia, now one point behind Thursday’s opponents, who must win at Equatorial Guinea to finish in second place.

Thursday’s other Group H match between hosts Malawi and Equatorial Guinea was postponed due to “travel complications” for the Equatorial Guinea side.

2026 World Cup Qualifying: Updated Group H Table

1. Tunisia- 22 points
2. Namibia- 15 points
3. Liberia- 14 points
4. Malawi- 10 points
5. Equatorial Guinea- 10 points
6. São Tomé and Príncipe- 0 points

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