Egypt has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a 3-0 win over Djibouti in Casablanca, securing the top spot in Group A with one game left.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored twice, while Ibrahim Adel added the third goal for the Pharaohs, making Egypt the third African nation to book a place in next year’s finals in North America after Morocco and Tunisia.
Salah’s goals took his tally to nine in the long qualifying campaign that began two years ago. Egypt have now qualified for their fourth World Cup, after missing the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Egypt’s previous appearances came in 1934, 1990, and 2018. The team will be hoping to improve on their past performances and make a deeper run at the 2026 tournament, which will be hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
In other matches, Ghana moved closer to qualification with a 5-0 win over the Central African Republic in Meknes. Thomas Partey opened the scoring for the Black Stars, followed by goals from Mohammed Salisu, Alexander Djiku, captain Jordan Ayew, and Kamaldeen Sulemana. Ghana now need just one point from their final home game against Comoros to secure their place.
Cape Verde also boosted their qualification hopes after coming from two goals down to draw 3-3 with Libya in Tripoli. The island nation, with a population of about 550,000, will clinch first place in Group D if they beat Eswatini in Praia on Monday.
Cape Verde currently have 20 points from nine games, two ahead of Cameroon, who beat Mauritius 2-0 in Saint-Pierre with Manchester United striker Bryan Mbeumo among the scorers.
Cameroon, who have made a record eight World Cup appearances for Africa, will need to beat Angola in Yaounde to have any chance of topping the group. If they fail, they will rely on being among the four best-ranked runners-up to enter the African playoffs in November.
The playoff winners will move on to an intercontinental tournament next March, where two additional spots will be available for African teams.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
