Morocco became the first African nation to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup finals following Friday's action in the Caf qualifiers.
Ismael Saibari's first-half brace set the tone as Morocco claimed an emphatic 5-0 win over Niger in Rabat, where the Atlas Lions maintained their 100 per cent win record in Group E, booking their spot in the tournament set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and USA, with two games to spare.
Morocco's North African rivals, Egypt, edged closer to qualifying after securing a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush in Cairo. The Pharaohs are five points clear at the top of the Group A standings and they will qualify if they overcome Burkina Faso on September 9.
6✖️3🟰18. 🔝
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) September 5, 2025
The Atlas Lions keep their African #WCQ 100% record intact with a 5-star performance. 🇲🇦🌟 pic.twitter.com/2Ie6Q4Dean
In Bloemfontein, South Africa also maintained their five-point lead in Group C after thrashing Lesotho 3-0 with Oswin Appollis, Mohau Nkota and Lyle Foster scoring. Bafana Bafana will book their place in the finals if they defeat Nigeria on September 9, and Benin and Rwanda drop points.
Bafana Bafana are one step closer to FIFA World Cup qualification ✅⚽️#SSDiski | #WCQ pic.twitter.com/9ElLSUde9c
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) September 5, 2025
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast reclaimed the Group F top spot after defeating Burundi 1-0 thanks to Vakoun Issouf Bayo's first-half goal in Abidjan. The Elephants are one point ahead of second-placed Gabon, with the two teams set to meet in Franceville on September 9.
In Juba, DR Congo consolidated their lead in Group B after thumping South Sudan 4-1 with Cedric Bakambu grabbing a brace. The Leopards are one point ahead of second-placed Senegal ahead of the two teams' clash in Kinshasa on September 9.
African #WCQ Group B's top spot remains blue. Les Léopards are going nowhere. 🇨🇩🔝 pic.twitter.com/QaDrnz6JE1
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) September 5, 2025
Senegal will be oozing with confidence after securing a comfortable 2-0 victory over Sudan in Diamniadio, where Kalidou Koulibaly and Pape Matar Sarr scored. However, Sudan's World Cup dream is still alive as they are four points behind DR Congo and they will be away to Togo on September 9.
Friday's CAF World Cup qualifiers results
Congo 1-1 Tanzania
Benin 1-0 Zimbabwe
Djibouti 0-5 Burkina Faso
Lesotho 0-3 South Africa
Uganda 4-0 Mozambique
Egypt 2-0 Ethiopia
Morocco 5-0 Niger
Senegal 2-0 Sudan
Ivory Coast 1-0 Burundi
Mauritania 2-0 Togo
South Sudan 1-4 DR Congo
Kenya 1-3 Gambia
Somalia 0-3 Guinea
Namibia 1-2 Malawi
