Cape Verde beat Cameroon, take big step towards first World Cup | OneFootball

Cape Verde took a big step towards its first-ever participation in a World Cup by defeating Cameroon 1-0 this Tuesday, in Praia, in the African Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

With this victory, the Cape Verdeans opened up a four-point lead over the ‘Indomitable Lions’ at the top of Group D, with two rounds remaining.

After Morocco’s qualification on Friday and Tunisia’s on Monday, the six direct spots for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will be decided in October, during the last two rounds.

Egypt and South Africa had the chance to secure their qualification this Tuesday, but the ‘Pharaohs’ failed to increase their lead over their direct rivals by drawing with Burkina Faso (0-0), while the ‘Bafana Bafana’ drew 1-1 with Nigeria.

South Africa remains alone at the top, three points ahead of Benin (who thrashed Lesotho 4-0) and six points ahead of Nigeria and Rwanda.

Meanwhile, the team of star Mohamed Salah is five points ahead of Burkina Faso, and a draw may be enough to secure a spot in their fourth World Cup, after the editions of 1934, 1990, and 2018.

Senegal wins with a comeback

After struggling in a match where they were down 2-0 until the 40th minute, Senegal moved closer to a direct spot in the 2026 World Cup by coming from behind to defeat the Democratic Republic of Congo 3-2, thanks to a late goal by Pape Matar Sarr.

This victory, at the Martyrs of Pentecost Stadium in Kinshasa, puts the Lions of Teranga at the top of their group, two points ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo itself and six ahead of Sudan, who were defeated by Togo (1-0).

In other matches this Tuesday, Sierra Leone beat Ethiopia 2-0, doing what was necessary to keep their chances alive for securing second place in their group and, thus, a spot in the playoffs. Niger won away against Tanzania (1-0) and Rwanda also beat Zimbabwe (1-0) away from home.

Kenya thrashed Seychelles 5-0, while a hat-trick from Peter Shalulile secured Namibia’s victory over São Tomé and Príncipe by 3-0. At night, Gabon and Ivory Coast drew 0-0 in a top-of-the-table clash in Group F. The Ivorian team remains in the lead with a one-point advantage over Tuesday’s opponent.

In other games, Angola defeated Mauritius 3-1, Gambia beat Burundi 2-0, and Mauritania and South Sudan drew 0-0.

The winners of the nine groups in the African Qualifiers qualify directly for the World Cup. The four best runners-up will play a playoff tournament, whose winner will qualify for FIFA’s intercontinental tournament.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.