2026 World Cup qualifiers: Burkina Faso without Kilian Nikiema | OneFootball

Kilian Nikiema out

Kilian Nikiema/@Fasozine

Burkina Faso faces a setback ahead of its two September fixtures. The Stallions will have to do without their goalkeeper Kilian Nikiema, who picked up an injury during training.

Brama Traoré will not be able to rely on his shot-stopper Kilian Nikiema for the upcoming clashes against Djibouti (September 5) and Egypt (September 9), as part of matchdays 7 and 8 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Ado Den Haag keeper, capped seven times by Burkina Faso, last appeared between the posts on June 10, 2024, against Sierra Leone (2-2).

No reason for alarm in the Burkinabe camp, however, as first-choice keeper Hervé Koffi is in Ouagadougou and gearing up for these two crucial qualifiers.

Burkina Faso currently sits second in Group A with 11 points, five behind Egypt. The Stallions will aim to win both upcoming matches to close the gap to at least two points behind the Pharaohs, with just two rounds left in the qualifiers.

If they can't overtake Egypt, Issa Kaboré and his teammates will at least hope to finish among the four best runners-up across the nine groups to secure a playoff spot.