Mali v Cape Verde set for Bamako opener – kick-off time and broadcasters

Mali host Cape Verde at the 26-Mars Stadium in Bamako on Friday in one of the headline fixtures of the opening round of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

The match will kick off at 19:00 Mali time (GMT). That is 18:00 in Praia and 21:00 in France.

ORTM is expected to show the game in Mali, while TCV should provide coverage in Cape Verde. In France, the match will be broadcast on beIN Sports Max 4. beIN Sports MENA will also be among the broadcasters in North Africa, with Canal+ showing the fixture in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa.

The meeting marks the beginning of a new qualifying campaign and a fresh era for both national teams. Anthony Da Silva will take charge of Mali for the first time, while Humberto Bettencourt has succeeded Bubista as coach of Cape Verde.

Mali will wear their new Wati B kit for the match. They are in a qualifying group that also includes Rwanda and Liberia.

Da Silva, appointed as the successor to Tom Saintfiet, will be without Yves Bissouma, who recently joined Ajax Amsterdam, and El Bilal Toure, whose absence has caused controversy. Moussa Sylla is also unavailable after being excused from the squad.

Sekou Koita and Mamadou Doumbia have been called up as replacements. Da Silva can nevertheless draw on several players who have made strong starts to the season.

Mamadou Sangare has quickly made an impression at Brentford in the Premier League, while Lassine Sinayoko has already scored three goals in Ligue 1 for Paris FC. Sinayoko is also among the leading African scorers in Europe during the 2026-2027 season.

Cape Verde arrive in Bamako with their standing significantly enhanced by their performance at the 2026 World Cup. The Blue Sharks progressed from a group containing Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia before reaching the round of 32.

They then took Argentina to extra time before losing 3-2. Following that historic campaign, Bubista left his position and was replaced by his former assistant Bettencourt.

The new Cape Verde coach can call on several members of the World Cup squad, including Vozinha, Pico Lopes and Ryan Mendes. Steven Moreira and Helio Varela, however, are ruled out.

Mali and Cape Verde have met only twice, both encounters coming in qualifying for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Each side won one of those matches.