World Cup dream alive as Chiquinho Conde urges fans to roar for the Mambas in Zimpeto today – Watch

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

World Cup dream alive as Chiquinho Conde urges fans to roar for the Mambas in Zimpeto today – Watch

9:03 CAT | 09 Oct 2025

558084824_1352446059582656_3302914232434663428_n

File photo: Federação Moçambicana de Futebol

Chiquinho Conde appealed for the fans’ support en masse at Zimpeto Stadium from 6 p.m. today, describing the clash with Guinea-Conakry as “the most important one” because of its direct impact on the World Cup dream.

Mozambique’s national coach, Chiquinho Conde, said yesterday that he remains determined to qualify the ‘Mambas’ for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, urging his players to focus on the “little things” that can make the difference in this decisive phase.

“May they [the players] not be too big to do the little things that need to be done. The little things are what we do every day: train, have fun, win, fight for what we believe is good,” said Chiquinho Conde, speaking in Maputo ahead of today’s match against Guinea-Conakry. He stressed that the Mozambican national team is living “a historic moment”, being just two matches away from an unprecedented achievement.

The ‘Mambas’ will face Guinea-Conakry this Thursday at the Zimpeto National Stadium in Maputo. Next Tuesday, on the 14th, they will play Somalia on neutral ground in Algeria. These are the final two matches of Group G in the qualifying stage for the upcoming World Cup.

Although acknowledging the difficulty of the task, Chiquinho Conde said the national football team remains hopeful of reaching the World Cup: “There is always great expectation and strong belief that we can make it to the World Cup.”

559911674_1352450732915522_6923946122925970969_n

“We know it’s very difficult, but if we’ve come this far with this performance, then obviously we want to take another step forward. Why not aspire to reach the play-offs?” he added, also expressing hope for a setback for Algeria.

With two rounds remaining, Mozambique are in third place with 15 points, level with Uganda in second, while Algeria lead with 19. They are followed by Guinea-Conakry with 11, Botswana with nine, and Somalia in last place with just one point.

The winners of each of the nine groups qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the four best runners-up will compete in a play-off. The play-off winner will then advance to the FIFA intercontinental play-off tournament, contested by six teams, from which two more will qualify for the World Cup.

For today’s match, the Mambas will be without two players due to injuries and family matters: right-back Diogo Calila, who plays for Santa Clara, and midfielder Guima (Ricardo Guimarães), who plays for Zira FK.

Nonetheless, Chiquinho Conde expressed confidence in the Mambas squad he has called up and appealed for the fans’ support at the stadium, describing the clash with Guinea-Conakry as “the most important one” because of its direct impact on the World Cup dream.

Source: Lusa