On the evening of 8/10, Egypt defeated Djibouti 3-0 on neutral ground in Casablanca, Morocco, in their penultimate Group A match of the African qualifiers. Ibrahim Adel opened the scoring in the 8th minute, followed by Mohamed Salah's two goals in the 14th and 84th minutes. This decisive victory secured Egypt's top spot in the group and a berth in the World Cup. They now have 23 points from 9 matches, holding a 5-point lead over second-placed Burkina Faso heading into the final match.

Salah (right) and teammates celebrate a goal during the Djibouti 0-3 Egypt World Cup qualifier on the evening of 8/10, at Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Morocco. Photo: AFP

The African qualifiers involve 54 teams divided into 9 groups. The leader of each group earns a direct spot in the World Cup. The four best second-placed teams compete for an additional qualification spot through play-off rounds.

As of 8/10, 19 teams have secured their places in the 2026 World Cup: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia (Africa); Japan, Iran, Australia, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan (Asia); Canada, Mexico, USA (three co-hosts); New Zealand (Oceania); Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay (South America).

Salah previously helped Egypt qualify for the 2018 World Cup. However, at the finals in Russia, an injury sustained in the Champions League final hampered the Liverpool star, who could not carry the team. Egypt was eliminated early after three straight losses to Russia, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, losing 1-3 to Senegal in a penalty shootout during a direct elimination match. Salah himself missed the first penalty.

In the current African qualifiers, Salah leads the top scorer race with 9 goals. Denis Bouanga of Gabon and Kamory Doumbia of Mali follow closely with 8 goals each.

Thanh Quy