Mohamed Salah scored twice as Egypt sealed their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a game to spare, while Ghana edged closer to qualification following Wednesday’s African qualifying fixtures.

Egypt required just one win from their final two Group A matches to confirm top spot, and Hossam Hassan’s men delivered with a commanding 3–0 victory over Djibouti in neutral Casablanca.

Ibrahim Adel opened the scoring in the eighth minute, heading in Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed’s cross, before Liverpool forward Salah latched onto Trezeguet’s pass to double the lead six minutes later. Despite questions over his club form this season, the Egypt captain remained central to the action, narrowly missing a third before the break as Mostafa Mohamed’s flick struck the post from his cross.

The second half unfolded at a slower pace, but Salah capped the night with a sublime first-time lob to complete the scoreline late on. The result made Egypt the third African team to confirm their berth at the expanded 48-team finals, joining Morocco and Tunisia.

Africa’s record seven-time champions, the Pharaohs have often struggled to carry their continental dominance into World Cup qualification, having appeared at football’s grandest stage only three times before — in 1934, 1990, and 2018.

In the group’s other fixture, Burkina Faso secured second place after Mohamed Zougrana’s strike earned a 1–0 win over Sierra Leone. The Stallions remain in contention to progress via the play-offs as one of the four best runners-up.

Elsewhere, Cape Verde missed their first opportunity to qualify for a maiden World Cup after surrendering a two-goal deficit to draw 3–3 with Libya. Niger and Zambia, who both registered wins over Congo-Brazzaville and Tanzania respectively, will battle for second spot in Group E behind Morocco, though their points tally is unlikely to secure a play-off slot.

Algeria could become the next African side to book their ticket to the World Cup if they defeat Somalia away in Group G on Thursday.

Source: BBC

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