The Egyptian national football team defeated Djibouti 3–0 on Wednesday, securing the top spot in Group A and officially qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Egypt became the third African team to seal a spot in the finals. Meanwhile, Cape Verde and Ghana also made significant progress in their respective groups.
Egypt Cruises Past Djibouti To Secure World Cup Spot
In the match held in Casablanca, Mohamed Salah scored twice, while Adel netted the opener to help Egypt claim a comfortable victory. With an unbeaten record of 23 points, Egypt sits firmly atop Group A, five points ahead of second-placed Burkina Faso, with just one round remaining, thereby securing their qualification early.
This means Egypt will join Morocco and Tunisia as Africa’s representatives at next year’s World Cup. It will be the nation’s fourth appearance at the tournament.
Cape Verde Fights Back to Draw Libya, Qualification Within Reach
On the same day, Cape Verde faced Libya away in a thrilling end-to-end battle that ended in a 3–3 draw. The tiny island nation, with a population of just 530,000, found itself trailing 1–3 but showed remarkable resilience by scoring twice and levelling the match.
In stoppage time, Cape Verde nearly snatched victory through a counterattack, but their goal was disallowed for a controversial offside call, denying them an early ticket to the finals.
Despite the setback, Cape Verde remains at the top of Group D with 20 points, two points ahead of Cameroon. A win at home against Eswatini on Monday would secure their first-ever World Cup qualification, making them the second smallest country by population to reach the tournament.
Meanwhile, Cameroon kept their hopes alive with a 2–0 away win over Mauritius, courtesy of goals from Ngamaleu and Bryan Mbeumo, a player from Manchester United.
Ghana’s 5-0 Victory Brings World Cup Return Within Touch
In Group I, Ghana thrashed the Central African Republic 5–0 in Meknes, solidifying their lead at the top of the group and moving within touching distance of qualification.
Mohammed Salisu opened the scoring, followed by goals from Thomas, Diku, Jordan Ayew, and Sulemana in a dominant performance. Ghana now only needs a single point at home against Comoros on Sunday to return to the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Madagascar kept their slim hopes alive with a 2–1 win over Comoros in heavy rain in Abidjan.
African Qualification Picture Becoming Clearer
In other matches, Angola drew 2–2 with Eswatini in the debut of new coach Beaumelle; Mali defeated Chad 2–0; and Ethiopia edged Guinea-Bissau 1–0.
As the African qualifiers approach their final stage, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia have already secured their places at the 2026 World Cup. The remaining six spots will be decided in the coming days as the competition reaches its decisive climax.
