South Africa, Senegal, and Ivory Coast have secured the final qualifying spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Bafana Bafana won 3-0 against Rwanda, a victory that pushes Nigeria to second place in Group C. Despite a hat-trick from Victor Osimhen against Benin’s Squirrels, the Super Eagles will have to go through the playoffs to hope for qualification. Meanwhile, Senegal dominated Mauritania (4-0) and finished the qualifiers undefeated.
The Teranga Lions, quarter-finalists in Qatar, will approach the North American World Cup with confidence. As for the Ivory Coast Elephants, they won 3-0 against Kenya at the Ébimpé Stadium in Abidjan. Closely followed by the Gabon Panthers, the Ivorians thus validate their ticket for the tournament. Gabon, however, will have to compete in the second round of qualifiers to try and secure the tenth qualifying spot for the World Cup.
For the playoffs scheduled from November 6th to 13th, Gabon will play Nigeria and the DR Congo will face Cameroon. The two winners will then compete in a final match against a team from another continent.