Mohamed Salah leads Egypt to a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia, while Morocco edges out Niger 2-1 in World Cup qualifiers, bolstering their positions on the road to the 2026 tournament.
In the latest round of African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, both Egypt and Morocco secured important victories, reinforcing their aspirations for tournament qualification.
Egypt faced Ethiopia and emerged with a 2-0 win.
The match saw captain Mohamed Salah open the scoring in the 31st minute, finishing a well-executed move involving Hamdy Fathi.
Ahmed Sayed, commonly known as “Zizo,” extended the lead nine minutes later, capitalizing on a defensive error by Ethiopia.
This victory solidifies Egypt’s position at the top of Group A, now holding a five-point lead at the halfway mark of the qualification campaign.
Morocco participated in the semifinal round of the 2022 World Cup when they played Niger in their upcoming match.
The lack of proper stadiums in Niger forced Morocco to play their home match but the team found it difficult to create opportunities throughout the game.
Morocco leveled the score through Ismael Saibari during the first sixty minutes while Niger held an untimely leading position.
At the final minute of additional time Bilal El Khannouss scored to give Morocco their 2-1 victory.
Morocco sits six points above all other Group E teams after clinching this victory.
The South African team achieved a 2-0 victory against Lesotho as Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams scored their first international goals during the match.
South Africa secured first place in Group C after their winning performance while Nigeria defeated Rwanda 2-0 in their first qualifier match.
Ghana performed with dominance in their victory against Chad by earning a 5-0 win to claim top position in their group.
The African qualifiers demonstrate strong competition because established football nations now display their strengths in the path toward the 2026 World Cup.