The first two rounds of Africa zone qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada proved that the gap between continental football heavyweights and yesterday’s run of the mill outfits is narrowing. While traditional giants like Qatar 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco, perennial continental representatives Algeria, record Africa Cup of Nations winners Egypt and Ivory Coast punched their full weight to take charge of their qualification destiny, a number of rank outsiders upset the form book.
Comoros, who caused shockwaves at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon with their fearless brand of football, continued their upward mobility by collecting maximum points by whipping Central African Republic 4-2, then ambushing four time African champions Ghana 1-0 to sit atop group I with six points. They are followed by group top seeds Mali, who begun the campaign by steam rolling Chad 3-1 but could only draw 1-1 with Central African Republic.
Rwanda were among the biggest winners after they followed up their goalless draw with Zimbabwe by ambushing 1996 African champions South Africa 2-0 at the Huye Stadium in Butare. The Amavubi Stars find themselves sitting atop group C with 4 points, one more than the Bafana Bafana who are ranked 74 places above them in the world football governing body Fifa global rankings.
The group’s top seeds Nigeria are stuck in third place after failing to win any of their opening two matches. Jose Peseiro’s thrice Africa champions were held to 1-1 draws by Lesotho and Zimbabwe, teams ranked a combined 208 places below them by Fifa. Despite the two setbacks, Nigeria’s Football Federation on Sunday refused to sack Super Eagles boss Peseiro.
Group H top seeds Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles who in 1978 became the first African side to win a World Cup match when they beat Mexico 3-1 in Argentina, lead their group after following up their 4-0 win over Sao Tome and Principe by toppling Malawi 1-0 in Lilongwe. Equatorial Guinea have also accumulated six points via identical 1-0 victories over Namibia and Liberia.
Ivory Coast laid down a marker in group F by registering a 9-0 pummelling of Seychelles, then taming Gambia to lead the standings from Gabon, who claimed 2-1 wins over Kenya’s Harambee Stars and Burundi’s Swallows. Algeria’s Desert Fenecs and Egypt’s Pharaohs are the other sides to collect maximum points after two match days. The Pharaohs followed up on last Thursday’s 6-0 whitewash of Djibouti by dismissing Sierra Leone 2-0 while the Fenecs tamed Mozambique by the same score line, four days after they outplayed Somalia 3-1.
