World Cup permutations: What Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Egypt need to qualify for next summer showpiece | OneFootball

Seven more automatic spots are up for grabs ahead of the final round of fixtures

Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Cameroon are among the nations still battling for World Cup qualification.

As things currently stand, Morocco and Tunisia are the only two nations from Africa guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup, but there are still so many places up for grabs.

So it is all to play for and here we run you through the permutations for the nations involved.

Group A

Egypt lead the way on 20 points and are assured of a top two finish. Mohamed Salah’s side can win Group A by beating Djibouti away from home or claiming victory over Guinea-Bissau on Sunday.

Burkina Faso will wrap up second place at the minimum should they overcome Sierra Leone who along with Guinea-Bissau must win to keep their dreams of a potential play-off spot alive.

Ethiopia and Djibouti have both been eliminated, but could yet have a major say in qualification.

Mohamed Salah’s Egypt are on the cusp of qualification

Middle East Images/AFP via Getty

Group B

This group is set to go right down to the wire between Senegal and DR Congo. The Lions go into the final round of fixtures with a two-point advantage which means they simply have to match Les Leopards’ results to qualify automatically for the World Cup.

Any slip-up though and the door will open for DR Congo who know they must win both of their games against Togo and Sudan, and hope Senegal come unstuck against either South Sudan or Mauritania.

Sudan are in third with an outside chance of a top two finish, while Togo, Mauritania and South Sudan have been eliminated.

Group C

South Africa’s punishment for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho has blown Group C wide open as five teams can still finish in the top two, with Zimbabwe the only nation eliminated.

Without the aforementioned punishment, Bafana Bafana would have been closing in on automatic qualification but they now need to beat Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

Benin currently lead the way by virtue of a superior goal difference but their final group game against Nigeria is set to prove decisive as long as the Super Eagles beat Lesotho on Friday.

Rwanda and Lesotho can still qualify but both nations but win their remaining games and hope results elsewhere go in their favour.

Nigeria have been handed a lifeline for World Cup qualification

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Group D

Cape Verde still require a win to qualify for the World Cup as group winners. This is because they have an inferior goal difference to second-placed Cameroon, so two draws against Libya and Eswatini would leave them vulnerable.

Cameroon, meanwhile, can eliminate Angola from qualification by beating Mauritius but must match Libya’s final two results to avoid dropping out of the top two.

Libya need to beat Cape Verde and Mauritius to have any hope of reaching next summer’s main tournament but Mauritius and Eswatini have already been eliminated.

Group E

Morocco have eased to qualification, winning all seven games so far, scoring 21 goals and conceding just twice.

As a result, the battle for the runners-up spot is between Tanzania, Niger and Zambia, with Congo eliminated having picked up just one point.

Tanzania have played one game more than their two closest challengers, Niger and Zambia, who will face each other on the final matchday in what could be a decisive showdown.

Group F

This group is very straightforward. Gambia, Burundi, Kenya and Seychelles have all been eliminated, leaving Ivory Coast and Gabon to battle it out for automatic qualification.

Cote d’Ivoire are in the driving seat thanks to their goalless draw in Franceville last month. However, their lead at the top of Group F is only a point which means they have to match Gabon’s results to be assured of winning the group.

As for Gabon, they have to beat both Gambia and Burundi while hoping for a shock result from elsewhere.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is hoping to fire Gabon to their first-ever World Cup

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Group G

Algeria just need to beat Somalia, who have already been eliminated, to qualify for their fifth World Cup, thus completing an unprecedented treble for North African countries, with Morocco and Tunisia having already secured their places at the next summer’s tournament.

Any other than a win, however, could take it to the final matchday when Algeria host Uganda, who are currently second in the group by virtue of a superior goal difference.

That said, Uganda will be looking over their shoulders at Mozambique who are looking to capitalise on any potential slip-ups when they face Guinea and Somalia.

Group H

Namibia are hot favourites to seal a top two spot behind Tunisia.

They will effectively do just that by avoiding defeat against third-placed Liberia, but a win for the hosts on Thursday would also hand hope to Malawi and Equatorial Guinea who face each other.

The final matchday sees Equatorial Guinea host Liberia in what could prove decisive especially with Namibia having the tough task of trying to claim a result away inTunisia.

Group I

Should Ghana beat the Central African Republic and Madagascar fail to beat Comoros, the Black Stars will officially qualify for their fifth World Cup.

If the current top two win their respective matches on matchday nine then Comoros and Mali cannot qualify.

Central African Republic and Chad have already been eliminated.

On the verge: Ghana

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Best runners-up

The four best runners-up progress to CAF's second qualifying round, as things currently stand Gabon, Madagascar, DR Congo and Burkina Faso would take those spots with the likes of Cameroon and South Africa missing out.