Big guns look to join Morocco in World Cup qualification

Several leading nations will have the chance to join Morocco in securing a ticket to the 2026 Fifa World Cup when Matchday 8 of Africa’s qualification tournament is played from Sunday to Tuesday (7-9 September).

Morocco – history-makers at the last World Cup when they reached the semifinals – became the first African team to secure a berth at next year’s global tournament when they guaranteed top spot in Group E with a 5-0 thumping of Niger on Saturday night.

The Atlas Lions will be back in action on Monday afternoon when they tackle Zambia in Ndola, while the other Group E game sees Tanzania host Niger on Tuesday in Zanzibar City.

Tunisia could join Morocco in qualification on Monday evening if they win away to Group H rivals Equatorial Guinea in Malabo, while Algeria could do the same with a victory over Group G rivals Guinea in Casablanca – but only if Uganda and Mozambique fail to win at home to Somalia and Botswana respectively.

South Africa could also seal guaranteed qualification on Tuesday evening with a win at home to Group C rivals Nigeria in Bloemfontein, though they would need Benin to drop points against Lesotho in Abidjan, while the equation is more simple for Egypt: a win over Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on Tuesday afternoon will see them booking tickets for North America as winners of Group A.

“The match against Burkina Faso will be tough – there are no weak opponents in African football. The hardest part is yet to come,” said Pharaohs coach Hossam Hassan.

“We are ready, even though the venue change was unexpected. They [Burkina Faso] played all their earlier qualifiers in Morocco, but now they’ve insisted on hosting this one at home.”

Monday and Tuesday will also feature several vital top-of-the-table clashes across the continent.

In Group B, DR Congo top the table by one point ahead of Senegal, with the heavyweight pair meeting in Kinshasa on Tuesday, while it’s a similar story for Cape Verde and Cameroon at the top of Group D ahead of their clash in Praia.

Ivory Coast lead Gabon by just a point at the top of Group F and they will meet in Franceville on Tuesday, while Mali’s hopes of a first-ever qualification to the World Cup will hinge on defeating Group I leaders Ghana on Monday night in Accra – a win for the Black Stars would take them to within touching distance of next year’s tournament, but an Eagles triumph would bring both themselves and likely Madagascar (who are at home to Chad earlier in the day) right back into contention.

“We have to think about Mali, we have to forget about the [1-1 draw with Chad last week],” said Ghana coach Otto Addo.

“I'm very, very sure that other countries which will come here will also have difficulties. This is how it is; we have to look forward and we have to beat Mali now.”

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS (CAF/Africa)

Matchday 8 fixtures, times CAT

SUNDAY 7 SEPTEMBER

6pm: Central African Republic v Comoros

MONDAY 8 SEPTEMBER

3pm: Equatorial Guinea v Tunisia

3pm: Zambia v Morocco

3pm: Mozambique v Botswana

6pm: Malawi v Liberia

6pm: Madagascar v Chad

6pm: Guinea-Bissau v Djibouti

6pm: Uganda v Somalia