Africa’s World Cup Qualifiers Heat Up

The African World Cup qualifiers are heating up, with matchdays 5 and 6 set to kick off on March 19. Nine group winners will secure automatic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, while four best runners-up will vie for a playoff spot.

Group A: Egypt in Command

Egypt leads Group A with 10 points from four matches, ahead of Guinea-Bissau, who have six points. Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone trail closely with five points each, while Ethiopia (3 points) and Djibouti (1 point) remain at the bottom.

Group B: Sudan and Senegal in Tight Race

Sudan currently tops Group B with 10 points, followed closely by Senegal (8 points) and DR Congo (7 points). Sudan’s head coach remains optimistic ahead of their crucial fixture against Senegal on March 22.

Group C: Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin Tied on Points

Group C remains wide open with Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin all sitting on seven points. Nigeria, a team many expected to dominate, languishes in fifth place with just three points from four matches.

Other Groups

• Group D: Cameroon leads with eight points, but Libya and Cape Verde are just one point behind.
• Group E: Morocco tops the group with a perfect record of nine points from three games.
• Group F: Ivory Coast leads with 10 points, closely followed by Gabon (9 points).
• Group G: Algeria and Mozambique are tied at the top with nine points each.
• Group H: Tunisia remains undefeated with 10 points, leading Namibia (8 points) and Liberia (7 points).
• Group I: Comoros and Ghana both sit on nine points, with Madagascar (7 points) and Mali (5 points) following closely.

Upcoming Fixtures

The upcoming fixtures for matchdays 5 and 6 are as follows:

• March 19: Liberia v Tunisia, Eswatini v Cameroon
• March 21: Ethiopia v Egypt, Rwanda v Nigeria, Morocco v Niger
• March 22: Sudan v Senegal
• March 24: Tunisia v Malawi, Ivory Coast v Gambia
• March 25: Egypt v Sierra Leone, Cameroon v Libya

The Road to the World Cup

With only four runner-up teams advancing to a mini-tournament for intercontinental play-offs, Ghana, Gabon, Mozambique, and Senegal currently hold the top spots. Namibia and South Africa remain in contention, hoping for favourable results in the coming games.