African battle for 2026 World Cup spots intensifies

As Africa’s qualifying rate rises, Egypt and Morocco may purchase tickets for the 2026 Fifa World Cup during the international window this month (3-9 September).

Four rounds of preliminary rounds are still open after an extended campaign that started in November 2023 and ends in October.

Only the nine group winners will be able to advance to the finals in 2017, with the four runners-up going into November’s play-offs for a second chance to qualify via an intercontinental route.

Depending on outcomes, a number of other countries could play alongside the Pharaohs and the Atlas Lions to travel to the United States, Mexico, and Canada with two games left.

Nigeria is in danger of losing out to the United States in an early elimination race, while Cape Verde, Comoros, and Sudan, which has been devastated by civil war, are still searching for historical credentials.

Burkinabe and Egypt currently lead Burkinabe by five points, but the West Africans are confident that Mohamed Salah and company will prevail on Tuesday.

Before that, the Stallions take on Djibouti and Ethiopia are welcomed by North Africans.

With West Africans and Sudanese still unbeaten, they square off against one another in a three-way battle for the top spot between the leaders of DR Congo, Senegal, and Sudan.

The Teranga Lions host Sudan on Friday at 5:00 GMT, followed by Kinshasa on Tuesday, where they will face the Congolese. This could be one of the most memorable two games.

If South Sudan wins the game away on Friday and then their two closest rivals draw, the Leopards could increase their lead at the summit to three points.

Although Group C comes with a caveat, South Africa is five points clear of Nigeria, which is currently languishing a further two points behind them.

If Bafana Bafana fielded an ineligible player in their March victory over Lesotho, the group would be left wide open if the world’s governing body Fifa decided to ignore that fact.

In that case, Nigeria must win the World Cup finals in its entirety or it will miss subsequent years.

The Super Eagles host Rwanda on Saturday at 16:00 GMT, before heading to Bloemfontein on Tuesday for a crucial meeting with South Africa.

With the two countries meeting in Praia on Tuesday, Cape Verde is one point ahead of Cameroon, which means there will be more surprises.

The Indomitable Lions have represented Africa at eight World Cup appearances, which is the most of any team, but they may need the most points from their game to keep that record.

The islanders travel to Mauritius before an away game against Eswatini.

The Atlas Lions would earn their third point later in the same game against Niger if closest rivals Tanzania didn’t win away against Congo-Brazzaville on Friday.

Even if Tanzania, who are six points adrift of the North Africans, wins, Morocco could receive the points they need from their Monday trip to Zambia.

The Elephants, who are still unbeaten and haven’t conceded a goal, are currently tied at one point with Ivory Coast.

With a victory over Seychelles on Wednesday (13:00 GMT), the Gabonese will surpass the continent’s current champions, who will host Burundi two days later.

The decisive matchup will be between Gabon and Franceville on Tuesday.

Algeria leads Mozambique by three points, but the north Africans have a far greater goal difference than the rest of their group.

Les Verts travel to Guinea on Monday before taking on third-place Botswana on Thursday.

Namibia and Tunisia both have points, both of which are unbeaten and have yet to concede.

After a home game against Liberia and a trip to Equatorial Guinea, the North Africans may not be visible until October when those two teams meet.

Namibia, which has already defeated Sao Tome and Principe, must still earn the most points in their away matches against Malawi in order to maintain its composure.

If the Equatoguineans succeed in challenging Fifa’s decision to impose two forfeits following their initial 1:0 victories over Namibia and Liberia, all of that may change.

The striker, who had spent his entire career with the National Thunder, was declared ineligible in a remarkable case, and he has since returned to play for the national side after winning an appeal.

After taking a three-point lead in their first game of the month, Ghana are now in good shape and will face Chad, who they have already defeated.

After a slow start to their campaign, the Comoros are the closest to the Black Stars, with Mali, who is in the top seeds, in the final chance saloon.

On Thursday, the Eagles host the islanders from the Indian Ocean, followed by a West African derby in Accra on Monday.