JuicyTalk
Africa’s final round of World Cup qualifying came to a conclusion on Tuesday night with most of the final spots at next summer’s tournament finally filled.
The continent’s proceedings end earlier than most, with the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for the start of 2026.
As a result, it meant teams like Senegal and Uganda had one final shot at booking their place among the best in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
South Africa booked their place earlier in the day, beating Rwanda to pip Nigeria to top spot of Group C.
Read on to see how the best of the action unfolded.
Senegal earn their place
Senegal cruised to a dominant 4-0 win over Mauritania in Dakar to secure their place at the World Cup.
After a controlled opening half, Sadio Mane broke the deadlock just before the interval, firing home from close range after sustained pressure from the hosts.
The Al Nassr forward doubled his tally shortly after the restart, converting from the centre of the box to make it 2-0 and give Senegal full command of the contest.
Iliman Ndiaye added a third midway through the second half, finishing coolly from Nicolas Jackson’s assist after a slick passing move.
Substitute Habib Diallo then completed the rout in the closing stages, slotting home a fourth goal from Ismaila Sarr’s cut-back to cap off a clinical team performance.
Ivory Coast follow suit
The Ivory Coast followed in Senegal’s footsteps to qualify with a comfortable 3-0 win over Kenya in Abidjan.
The hosts took control early when Franck Kessie opened the scoring inside eight minutes, finishing calmly from Amad Diallo’s assist after a well-worked attacking move.
Yan Diomande doubled the lead shortly after the restart, guiding home from close range following good work down the left by Ghislain Konan.
As Kenya pushed forward late on, the Elephants struck again – Amad Diallo capping off an impressive display with a composed finish into the top corner to make it 3-0.
Algeria leave it late
Algeria produced a dramatic late comeback to defeat Uganda 2-1 and snatch their spot at the World Cup.
Uganda stunned the hosts early when Steven Mukwala fired home in the sixth minute after a clever assist from Kenneth Semakula.
The Cranes defended terrifically for much of the first half, frustrating Algeria’s attack and taking a narrow lead into the break.
But the second half saw relentless pressure from the home side, and their persistence finally paid off.
Mohammed Amoura converted from the penalty spot in the 81st minute to bring Algeria level, before repeating the feat deep into stoppage time to snatch the win.
World Cup qualifying results
DR Congo 1-0 Sudan
Senegal 4-0 Mauritania
Nigeria 4-0 Benin
South Africa 3-0 Rwanda
Morocco 1-0 Congo
Sychelles 0-7 Gambia
Gabon 2-0 Burundi
Ivory Coast 3-0 Kenya
Algeria 2-1 Uganda
Guinea 2-2 Botswana
Somalia 0-1 Mozambique
