Dakar and Abidjan: Ivory Coast and Senegal claimed Africa's final two automatic qualifying spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as both sides registered victories on Tuesday. Senegal secured a decisive 4-0 home win over Mauritania, clinching the top position in Group B.
According to BBC, the victory was spearheaded by Sadio Mane, who opened the scoring with a free-kick just before half-time and later netted his second goal. Iliman Ndiaye contributed with a remarkable solo effort, and Habib Diallo completed the scoring. This win positioned Senegal a point ahead of Gabon, who defeated Burundi 2-0 in Franceville with late goals from Bryan Meyo and Mario Lemina.
Ivory Coast celebrated their return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 2014, completing their 10-game group campaign without conceding a single goal. They are one of two African nations, alongside Tunisia, to achieve this feat in the qualifiers. These achievements mean that Ivory Coast and Senegal will join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, and South Africa at the World Cup finals next year.
There remains a possibility for one more African team to qualify. The winners of next month's continental play-offs will have the opportunity to join the group if they succeed in the inter-confederation tournament scheduled for March next year. Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria emerged as the four best-ranked second-placed teams across the nine groups, and one of these teams could become Africa's 10th representative at the expanded 48-team World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Confederation of African Football has yet to announce the date for the play-off draw.