Egypt is back in the World Cup after eight years. In Casablanca today, Mohamed Salah’s side defeated Djibouti 3-0 to top Africa’s Group A and secure their ticket to the 2026 World Cup. The Liverpool star scored two goals in the victory.
With this win, Egypt moved five points clear of nearest rivals Burkina Faso, confirming qualification with one game to spare. The seven-time African champions will participate in the World Cup for only the fourth time in history, having previously played in 1934, 1990, and 2018.
During the qualifiers, Egypt earned 23 points from 9 matches, scoring 19 goals, 9 of which came from Salah. He is currently the top scorer in the African qualifying zone.
Egypt becomes the 19th team to confirm a spot in the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup, with 27 more slots still to be decided.
Confirmed World Cup Teams So Far
CONCACAF (North & Central America and Caribbean)
- Canada (host)
- Mexico (host)
- United States (host)
CONMEBOL (South America)
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
AFC (Asia)
- Australia
- Iran
- Japan
- Jordan
- South Korea
- Uzbekistan
CAF (Africa)
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Egypt
OFC (Oceania)
- New Zealand
On the day Egypt secured qualification, other African qualifiers also moved closer. Ghana, top of Group I, crushed the Central African Republic 5-0. They need just 1 point against Comoros on October 12 to secure their spot. Even if they lose that match, they could still qualify if Madagascar drops points.
Cape Verde, aiming for their first World Cup, drew 3-3 with Libya, delaying their qualification. In Group D, Cape Verde has 20 points from 9 matches, two behind Cameroon (18 points from 9 games), the record eight-time African champions. Cape Verde will face Eswatini on October 13 — a win will ensure their historic first World Cup appearance. Even if Cameroon defeats Angola in their final match, Cape Verde could still qualify without additional points.
This will be a historic moment for the small island nation of just 600,000 people, potentially making their World Cup debut in 2026.
