African World Cup Qualifiers Enter Decisive Stage With Seven Spots At Stake

‎Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign wraps up over the next week, with seven more nations set to book their tickets to North America.

‎Morocco and Tunisia have already secured top spot in their respective groups ahead of the final two rounds of matches.

‎The remaining group winners will emerge from a tense round of fixtures that will determine who joins them at the finals.

‎By next Tuesday, all nine African representatives for the 2026 World Cup will be confirmed.

Countries that are close to securing their place

‎Egypt is poised to seal qualification on Wednesday when it faces lowly Djibouti in Group A.

‎Ghana could also secure the top spot in Group I if it defeats the Central African Republic away and Madagascar drops points.

‎Meanwhile, Algeria needs just a draw against Somalia on Thursday to confirm its place at the 2026 World Cup.

‎In Group D, the tiny Cape Verde Islands have a four-point lead over second-placed Cameroon and therefore need to win one of their last two qualifiers to snatch a fairytale berth at the finals.

‎Cape Verde are away to Libya on Thursday and finish their campaign at home to Eswatini next Monday.

‎Senegal sits comfortably atop Group B with a two-point lead over the Democratic Republic of Congo.

‎A pair of victories away to South Sudan on Friday and at home to Mauritania next Tuesday would guarantee their qualification.

‎In Group F, the Ivory Coast holds a slender one-point advantage over Gabon and knows exactly what must be done. Wins against the Seychelles on Friday and Kenya on October 14 would secure their place at the 2026 World Cup.

‎Why South Africa’s lead was stripped

‎In Group C, South Africa had a three-point lead but points were stripped last week for fielding a defaulter in March, leaving them now trailing Benin on goal difference.

‎Benin faces a tough finish to its qualifying campaign with away trips to Rwanda on Friday and Nigeria next Tuesday.

‎South Africa, meanwhile, will play Zimbabwe on Friday before hosting Rwanda next Tuesday.

‎Although the Zimbabwe clash is officially an away fixture, it will be held in Durban due to stadium issues in Zimbabwe giving South Africa a significant advantage.

‎At the weekend, their Belgian coach Hugo Broos took responsibility for the bungle that saw South Africa field midfielder Teboho Mokoena when he should have been suspended.

‎“I am responsible. I am the coach, and I had to know that this guy had two yellow cards. So, stop with it,” he said of the ongoing outrage from South African fans.

‎“Just focus on the two games remaining now and support us. We will do everything to win these games, and for me, it’s an extra motivation.”