North African duo cruising in 2026 World Cup qualifying
03/22/2025 05:27 PM
Egypt and Morocco took command of their respective groups, while surprise packages Sudan and Namibia strengthened their bids to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Egypt remain in control of Group A after they beat Ethiopia 2-0 at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Friday, March 21.
The Pharaohs hold a five-point lead over Burkina Faso (2nd) and Sierra Leone (3rd), with the Stallions running out 4-1 victors over Djibouti in El Jadida earlier that same day, while the Leone Stars overcame Guinea-Bissau 3-1 in Paynesville on Thursday, March 20.
Sudan stay ahead of the chasing pack in Group B after they shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw with Senegal at the Benina Martyrs Stadium on Saturday, March 22.
The Falcons of Jediane went one point clear of DR Congo, who registered a 1-0 win over South Sudan in Kinshasa on Friday, March 22, with the Lions of Teranga a further point back in third place after drawing three of their last four games.
South Africa moved to the head of Group C courtesy of a 2-0 victory against Lesotho at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Friday, March 21.
Bafana Bafana went two points clear of Benin, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Zimbabwe in Durban on Thursday, March 20. Elsewhere, Nigeria breathed new life into their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 triumph over Rwanda in Kigali, which saw them close within two points of the Cheetahs in fourth place.
Cape Verde capitalised on Cameroon’s failure to beat Eswatini as they climbed to the top of Group D following a 1-0 win over Libya at the Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde in Praia on Thursday, March 20.
The Blue Sharks opened up a one-point gap to the Indomitable Lions, who shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw with the King’s Shield in Mbombela on Wednesday, March 19. Meanwhile, Libya (3rd) and Angola (4th) are one and two points further back respectively after they played out to a 1-1 stalemate in Benghazi later on in the evening.
Morocco continued their dominance of Group E as they edged Niger 2-1 at the Honor Stadium in Oujda on Friday, March 21.
The Atlas Lions boast a comfortable six-point lead over the Menas (2nd) and Tanzania (3rd), who have a game in hand on the top two after not featuring on matchday 5.
Ivory Coast held onto pole position in Group F thanks to a 1-0 success over Burundi at the Honneur Stadium in Meknes on Friday, March 21.
The Elephants remain one point ahead of Gabon, who cruised to a 3-0 victory over Seychelles in Franceville on Thursday, March 20, with Gambia (5th) and Kenya (4th) playing out to a thrilling 3-3 draw in Abidjan, in what was Benni McCarthy’s first match in charge of the Harambee Stars.
The battle for top spot in Group is also tightly contested after Algeria defeated Botswana 3-1 at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown on Friday, March 21.
The Fennec Foxes occupy first place on goal difference ahead of Mozambique, who won by the same scoreline against Uganda in Cairo on Thursday, March 20 to pull five points clear of Guinea (3rd).
Tunisia lead the way in Group H as expected after they recorded a narrow 1-0 win against Liberia at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville on Wednesday, March 19.
The Eagles of Carthage are still two points ahead of Namibia, who look favourites to claim the runners-up spot, having beaten Malawi 1-0 in Lilongwe on Thursday, March 20 to keep pace with the group leaders.
Group I is still very much up in the air, with Ghana thrashing Chad 5-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium in Accra on Friday, March 21 to stay at the summit.
Madagascar are just two points adrift of the Black Stars in second position as they came to behind to rout Central African Republic 4-1 in Casablanca on Wednesday, March 19. Mali (4th) closed within a point of Comoros (3rd) following a 3-0 victory in Berkane on Thursday, March 20, leaving the Coelacanths one point behind Barea.
CAF 2026 World Cup qualifying results in full:
Wednesday, March 19
Eswatini 0-0 Cameroon
Liberia 0-1 Tunisia
Central African Republic 1-4 Madagascar
Thursday, March 20
Mozambique 3-1 Uganda
Sierra Leone 3-1 Guinea-Bissau
Zimbabwe 2-2 Benin
Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritius
Malawi 0-1 Namibia
Libya 1-1 Angola
Gabon 3-0 Seychelles
Gambia 3-3 Kenya
Comoros 0-3 Mali
Friday, March 21
Botswana 1-3 Algeria
Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Sao Tome and Príncipe
Burkina Faso 4-1 Djibouti
DR Congo 1-0 South Sudan
South Africa 2-0 Lesotho
Rwanda 0-2 Nigeria
Burundi 0-1 Ivory Coast
Ghana 5-0 Chad
Ethiopia 0-2 Egypt
Guinea 0-0 Somalia
Niger 1-2 Morocco
Saturday, March 22
Togo 2-2 Mauritania
Sudan 0-0 Senegal
