Egypt confirmed their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a commanding 3-0 victory over Djibouti in their Group A qualifier at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium on Wednesday, October 8.
Early strikes from Ibrahim Adel and Mohamed Salah put Hossam Hassan’s side firmly in control, before Salah added a late third to secure all three points and extend Egypt’s unbeaten record in qualifying. The result leaves the Pharaohs five points clear of Burkina Faso with one match remaining, ensuring automatic qualification for the global tournament.
Egypt wasted no time asserting their dominance. Just eight minutes in, Zizo delivered a precise cross from the right flank, met by Adel’s well-timed header to open the scoring.
The lead was doubled only seven minutes later when Salah, continuing his fine form for club and country, latched onto Trezeguet’s incisive through-ball and beat goalkeeper Omar Mahamoud with a composed finish.
Djibouti, hoping to avoid a repeat of their 6-0 defeat in the reverse fixture last November, struggled to cope with Egypt’s attacking intensity early on. The hosts grew slightly more organized after the break but rarely threatened Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
Despite Egypt’s early dominance, they were unable to extend their lead for much of the match, missing several clear chances in both halves. Their closest effort came in the 68th minute, when a corner led to chaos in the Djibouti box — the ball striking the post twice in quick succession.
The Pharaohs eventually sealed the result in the 84th minute, as Salah produced another clinical finish after being played through by Marwan Ateya, rounding off a performance that underlined Egypt’s superiority in the group.
Djibouti 0–3 Egypt Goals: Adel (8’), Salah (14’, 84’)
Djibouti: O. Mahamoud; A. Farada (A. Osman 72’), A. Pohe Tokpa, S. Yabe, A. Abdi; H. Idriss, M. Mahamed, O. Daher, W. Hassan (A. Farah 62’), A. Omar, M. Wais (I. Awaleh 73’).
Egypt: M. El Shenawy (O. Shobeir 62’), M. Hany, R. Rabia, M. Hamdi (A. Koka 63’), M. Ateya (M. Fathi 87’), H. Fathy (M. Lasheen 62’), Zizo (M. Saber 78’), M. Salah, Trezeguet, I. Adel.
With qualification now secured, Hossam Hassan can turn his focus to maintaining momentum ahead of next year’s finals. Egypt remain unbeaten in Group A and have conceded just once throughout the campaign — a reflection of both their defensive discipline and attacking balance.
For Salah, his brace brings him closer to further national milestones, while for Egypt, the win reaffirms their status as one of Africa’s most consistent forces on the road to the 2026 World Cup.
