Salah Double Seals Egypt’s Place at 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Captain Mohamed Salah scored twice to guide Egypt to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Their decisive 3-0 victory over Djibouti on Wednesday secured qualification with a match to spare. With this win, the Pharaohs join Morocco and Tunisia as the first African nations to book their tickets for the tournament in North America.

Salah Double Seals Egypt’s Place at 2026 World Cup

Under manager Hossam Hassan, Egypt wasted no time asserting their dominance. In fact, Ibrahim Adel opened the scoring with an eighth-minute header. Shortly after, Salah effectively ended the contest when he calmly finished a pass from Trezeguet to double the lead.

The Liverpool star then capped the triumphant evening with a sublime second-half chip. This goal not only sealed Egypt’s fourth-ever appearance at the global finals but also sparked celebrations across the country.

Furthermore, Salah’s brace made history. He is now the all-time leading scorer in African World Cup qualification, officially surpassing Ivorian legend Didier Drogba’s long-held record.

Heavyweights on the Brink as the African race intensifies

While Egypt celebrates, the battle for the continent’s remaining automatic and playoff berths is intensifying. Here’s a look at the current state of play across the qualifying groups.

Around the continent, several of Africa’s traditional powerhouses are in commanding positions. For instance, Senegal (Group B), the Ivory Coast (Group F), and Algeria (Group G) all control their own destiny and can qualify simply by winning their remaining fixtures.

Meanwhile, in Group I, Ghana took a giant leap towards qualification with a 5-0 thrashing of the Central African Republic. A masterful performance from Jordan Ayew orchestrated the victory, as he scored one goal and assisted two others. As a result, Ghana now needs just a draw in their final match to qualify.

Wide-Open Races and Historic Chases

Elsewhere, other groups promise a much more dramatic finish. Group C, for example, is now in chaos after a points deduction dropped South Africa into second place behind Benin. Consequently, the group is wide open, with four potential winners, including powerhouse Nigeria.

In another compelling storyline, Cape Verde (Group D) is on the verge of a historic first-ever World Cup appearance. In fact, they can seal their place with a final-day win over Eswatini. However, their closest challenger, Cameroon, will be hoping for any slip-up.

The Playoff Path

For teams that miss out on automatic qualification, a final lifeline still remains. Specifically, the four best second-placed teams from the nine groups will advance to a continental playoff in November 2025. To ensure fairness in this ranking, officials nullify results against the sixth-placed teams in any larger groups.

Ultimately, the winner of this four-team knockout tournament does not qualify directly. Instead, they will advance to the FIFA inter-confederation playoffs, where they will represent Africa for one last chance to reach the World Cup.

Read- Tuchel insists England not among World Cup favourites

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