Algeria qualify for 2026 World Cup

Algeria added their name to the list of World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, becoming the fourth African team to book a berth at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

This follows a comfortable 3-0 win over Somalia on Thursday night, as Algeria join the already qualified Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt.

Mohamed Amoura netted twice – taking his goals tally in the qualifying campaign to eight – while captain Riyad Mahrez also scored.

Victory for Algeria advanced them to an unassailable 22 points with one match still to play in Group G. It will be their fifth World Cup finals appearance but first since Brazil in 2014.

The top team in each of the nine African groups qualifies automatically for the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Amoura handed Algeria a seventh-minute lead when Mahrez’s cross was missed by striker Baghdad Bounedjah but found the Bundesliga-based forward unmarked at the back post to convert.

Mahrez then doubled the lead 12 minutes later with Amoura scoring his second, again from a Mahrez cross, in the 57th minute.

The fixture was a home game for Somalia, but because they do not have a suitable venue for international matches, it was hosted in Oran, handing Algeria the chance to celebrate qualification in front of a packed house at Stade Miloud Hadefi.

Egypt thrash Djibouti, become third African country to seal 2026 World Cup spot

Uganda consolidated second spot in the group with a 1-0 victory in Botswana as Jude Ssemugabi netted early in the second half at Francistown.

The four best runners-up across the nine groups will advance to a playoff in November for a possible additional slot for Africa at the 2026 World Cup.

Namibia’s chances of securing one of the playoff berths were handed a blow by a 3-1 loss away to Liberia, who scored two early goals in Monrovia through Ayouba Kosiah’s third-minute penalty and a ninth-minute strike from Sulahmana Bah.

Tunisia had already secured top spot in Group H last month with Namibia staying second on 15 points, one more than Liberia.

Malawi were supposed to host Equatorial Guinea, who failed to arrive for the clash in Blantyre and are likely to forfeit the points, keeping up Malawi’s chances of earning the runners-up slot.

Earlier on Thursday, Kenya won 1-0 away in Burundi, with substitute Ryan Ogam scoring a late winner in the Group F clash.

Burundi played with 10 men for all but the first five minutes of the match after striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Kenya goalkeeper Brian Bwire, who was injured and had to be replaced.

A further nine qualifiers will be played around Africa on Friday, bringing the ninth round of matches to a close. The final round begins on Sunday with fixtures through until Tuesday.

The Star