Mohamed Salah will look to reignite his form and help Egypt secure their place at the 2026 World Cup when they face Djibouti on Wednesday. A win for the seven-time African champions would give them an unassailable lead over Burkina Faso in Group A, sealing qualification with one match to spare.
Despite being one of Africa’s most decorated players and a two-time African Footballer of the Year, Salah has endured a slow start to the season with Liverpool, scoring just three goals in nine appearances across all competitions. This is a stark contrast to last season, when the 33-year-old netted 29 times in 38 league matches, winning the Golden Boot and spearheading Liverpool’s charge to a record-equalling 20th Premier League title.
Salah will hope to rediscover his goalscoring touch against familiar opponents. He scored four goals in Egypt’s emphatic 6-0 win over Djibouti in Cairo during the opening round of qualifying two years ago and has since taken his tally to seven goals in the current campaign — just one behind Gabon’s Denis Bouanga, the top scorer.
Djibouti’s task is made even harder by their lack of a FIFA-approved stadium, forcing them to host the match in Casablanca, Morocco. The team has struggled throughout the qualifiers, losing seven of their eight matches and sitting 158 places below Egypt in the FIFA world rankings.
While Salah’s recent form has drawn attention, those within the Egypt camp remain confident in their captain’s quality.
“Mo is a big star, and we are lucky to have him,” said Mostafa Mohamed, the Nantes striker and fellow Egypt forward. “He is the best player in Egypt’s history. He’s amazing, with a great personality, and I love him a lot. His lack of goals is just a temporary setback.”
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal, including Omar Marmoush, Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan, and Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed, alongside Salah and Mohamed. Given the gulf in quality between the two sides, anything less than victory — and a fourth World Cup appearance for the Pharaohs — would be a major surprise.
Egypt are not the only African nation on the brink of qualification. Algeria and Cape Verde can also book their places at the 2026 World Cup with wins on matchday nine, joining already-qualified Morocco and Tunisia in North and Central America next year.
Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Ghana could also secure their spots, but their fates depend on both their own results and those in other groups.
In Group C, where Benin lead South Africa on goal difference and Nigeria and Rwanda sit three points back, the race will remain open until the final round beginning on Sunday.
Algeria, seeking a fifth World Cup appearance, are overwhelming favourites in their Group G clash with Somalia, ranked 163 places below them. Security concerns mean the match will take place in Oran, Algeria, despite being listed as Somalia’s “home” fixture.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic has handed a first senior call-up to Luca Zidane, the 27-year-old Granada goalkeeper and son of French legend Zinedine Zidane. Luca, who has switched his international allegiance from France, qualifies through his Algerian grandparents.
Meanwhile, Cape Verde, with a population of just 550,000, could become the smallest African nation ever to reach a World Cup if they win against Libya in Tripoli. Even if they fail, they will have another opportunity on Monday when they host Eswatini in Group D.
In Group I, Ghana can qualify if they beat the Central African Republic and Madagascar fail to defeat the Comoros. Senegal will advance from Group B if they beat South Sudan on Friday and DR Congo do not win in Togo. Ivory Coast, seeking their first World Cup appearance since 2014, will qualify if they defeat the Seychelles and Gabon lose to Gambia.
Failure to top a group does not end qualification hopes. The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to African play-offs in November, with winners earning a place in the intercontinental play-offs in March.
As Egypt close in on another World Cup berth, the spotlight will be on Salah — not just to deliver qualification, but to rediscover the form that made him one of the world’s most feared forwards. A strong performance against Djibouti could mark the turning point he and Egypt are seeking as they look ahead to 2026.
