On Matchday 6 of the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Namibia and Equatorial Guinea drew 1-1 in Johannesburg on Monday.

Equatorial Guinea came into the match fresh off a 2-0 victory over São Tomé and Príncipe, while the Brave Warriors, encouraged by a close victory over Malawi, were looking to stay up with Group H leaders Tunisia.

However, despite both teams’ impressive recent performance, the first half at Orlando Stadium offered little in the way of quality finishing.

Namibia had the better opportunities early on but were frustrated by a well-organised Equatorial Guinea defence and a lack of accuracy in the final third.

Namibia broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Deon Hotto whipped in a teasing free-kick that was expertly volleyed home by Peter Shalulile, who found himself unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box.

However, their lead was short-lived, as only three minutes later, Equatorial Guinea responded through defender Saúl Coco, who lashed in the equaliser after Esteban Orozco picked him out in space.

At the half, the game was still goalless, and both teams knew they needed more urgency to change the course of events.

The second half saw a drastic change in the match.

The goal came as a reward for Nzalang Nacional’s increasing midfield power.

In the end, both teams tried to identify a winner, but neither was able to find the necessary edge.

Equatorial Guinea is still in fourth place with seven points, while Namibia is three points behind Tunisia in second place in Group H with twelve points.

Equatorial Guinea now needs to win their remaining games to have any chance of moving forward, while Namibia is still within striking distance of qualifying as a result of the outcome.