Guinea-Bissau failed to return to winning ways in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt when the two nations met on 10 June.

Mama Balde broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time at the Estadio 24 de Setembro, but Mohamed Salah's 70th-minute strike earned Egypt a share of the spoils.

The result against the Pharaohs means Guinea-Bissau are now unbeaten in their four World Cup qualifiers and sit second in Group A with six points from a possible 12.

Head coach Luis Boa Morte will be hoping his side can build on the positives from their draw with Egypt in June as they look to start their quest for a fifth consecutive Africa Cup of Nations on a positive note.

The Djurtus began the year with another forgettable AFCON campaign, losing all three of their matches in Côte d'Ivoire to finish bottom of Group A and crash out at the group stage for the fourth time in a row.

Guinea-Bissau, currently 114th in the latest FIFA World Ranking, go into Thursday's game without a win in their last five matches, losing three, drawing two and conceding eight and scoring three goals since their 1-0 win over Djibouti in November.

Eswatini, on the other hand, were knocked out of the COSAFA Cup at the group stage for the second year running after taking two points from their three matches to finish third in Group A in July.

After playing to goalless draws with Botswana and Mozambique in their opening two games, Dominic Kunene's side were beaten 1-0 by South Africa in their crucial final group match on 2 July.

The result echoed a disappointing run of form in World Cup qualifying, where Eswatini have lost each of their four matches so far, conceding six goals and scoring once, to sit bottom of Group D.

The Sihlangu Semnikati will now turn their attention to the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, having eliminated Somalia in the preliminary round by beating Ocean Stars 3-0 in the first leg on 20 March, a week before holding them to a 2-2 draw in the return leg at Mbombela Stadium to complete a 5-2 aggregate victory.

However, Eswatini will need to be at their best on Thursday when they take on a Guinea-Bissau side who have won their last two AFCON qualifiers, scoring six goals and conceding just one since November 2019.

Guinea-Bissau possible starting lineup:

Balde; Sambinha, Sangante, Djalo, Mendy; Encada, Semedo, Bikel; Dju, Turbo, Balde

Eswatini possible starting lineup:

Gama; Gamedze, Silenge, Newman; Manana, Muvaso, Magagula, Masangane; Matsebula, Figareido, Gweba

Prediction:Guinea-Bissau 2-0 Eswatini

Guinea-Bissau VS Eswatini stream and TV listing

International：Holasports