World Cup qualifiers (Africa): Mohamed Salah equals a historic record | OneFootball

Another record for Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah/@CAF

By scoring the opening goal for Egypt against Ethiopia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Friday night in Cairo, Mohamed Salah has further etched his name into footballing legend.

The Liverpool star broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 41st minute, just as he did in the first leg played in Ethiopia last March.

With this goal, he helped Egypt take another significant step towards America by consolidating their lead at the top of Group A, now five points ahead of Burkina Faso.

The Egyptian international (104 caps, 59 goals) has also equaled the all-time record for most goals scored in African World Cup qualifiers, a mark he now shares with Didier Drogba, Islam Slimani, Samuel Eto'o, and Moumouni Dagano.

Here is the ranking of the top African scorers in the qualifiers:

1. Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 18 goals

2. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – 18 goals

3. Islam Slimani (Algeria) – 18 goals

4. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) – 18 goals

5. Moumouni Dagano (Burkina Faso) – 18 goals

6. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) – 16 goals

7. Dennis Oliech (Kenya) – 15 goals

Unlike his rivals, Mohamed Salah is the only one still playing and could break the record as soon as the next match. Egypt will travel to Burkina Faso on September 9, 2025.