African qualifiers recap: Kenya's rise, Cabo Verde's history, North African dominance & playoffs on fire

There have been numerous impressions and memorable moments during the 23 months of football in the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers. Still, Mozzart Sport Kenya tried to pick and highlight the most important ones and put them together in one article that would sum up the whole qualifying campaign.

So, let's get started.

NORTH AFRICAN DOMINANCE

Even though the teams from North Africa won only one African Cup of Nations in the past seven continental tournaments, the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers were genuine proof that the Northern part of the Mother Continent plays the best football - or at least that's what the results show.

Namely, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria were the first African countries to book tickets for the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and they did it with serious dominance, winning 103 points and scoring 88 goals combined!

Moreover, the two most efficient net-busters in the qualifiers came from two of these national teams. Algeria's Mohamed Amoura topped the leading scorers list with ten goals, followed by his namesake, Salah of Egypt, who netted one less.

The remaining North African countries, Libya and Sudan, undoubtedly deserved an honorary mention, as they both finished third in their groups. The Mediterranean Knights sat just three points behind the second-placed Group D team, Cameroon, while the Falcons of Jediane couldn't cope with the powerful Senegal and DR Congo, but overtook Togo - which were the favourites for spot #3 - by five points.

BATTLES TILL THE LAST DAY

Unlike some previous qualifying campaigns - and maybe due to the system changes - the situation in several groups remained open until the final matchday.

In Group B, Senegal and DR Congo created an early edge over their rivals, but fought a one-on-one battle until the last seconds. In the end, the September 9 clash, when the Leopards had a 2-0 lead after only 33 minutes against the Lions of Teranga, and then gambled it away, losing the game 3-2, turned out to be decisive.

The extraordinary team like Senegal didn't give the rivals another chance, keeping a two-point edge with three wins in the last three rounds. DR Congo will have to settle for the playoffs.

Mane and Ndiaye score beauties and send Senegal to the World Cup

And while Group B brought us an expected outcome, Group D provided us with the biggest upset not only in the African qualifiers, but in the World Cup qualifiers in general, as Cabo Verde left the mighty Cameroon behind, securing the direct qualification for the WC for the first time in history.

The crucial win the Blue Sharks recorded was a 1-0 win over the Indomitable Lions at home a month ago, but we'll talk more about Cabo Verde's miracle below in the text.

Finally, in Group F, another one-on-one race was seen. The two participants were the Ivory Coast and Gabon, and the champions of Africa emerged victorious, winning just one point more than their rivals.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon(©Eto Etu/Gallo Images)

The Panthers wasted their chance to leapfrog the Elephants last month, when their clash in Gabon ended in a goalless draw. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Co. will probably have nightmares about Shavy Babicka's dying-minutes opportunity from that match, when the ball crashed against the post instead of finishing in the net.

Hence, the qualifiers aren't over for Gabon, as they'll participate in the playoffs.

You're now probably wondering where Group C is in this section. Well, that situation was so wild that it requires its own chapter!

GROUP C MADNESS

Even though arguably the strongest team in the qualifiers, Nigeria barely finished second in their group. And had it not been for South Africa's point deduction, they would have probably been the most powerful team out of the World Cup since the Netherlands' outstanding generation that missed the 2002 WC.

Benin had everything in their hands, as they topped the group ahead of the final round, but they were dismantled by the Super Eagles on the road 4-0, losing everything in the end. On the other hand, South Africa exploited the situation, beat Rwanda 3-0, and booked a direct ticket to North America.

However, despite the victory against Benin, Nigeria were on the verge of finishing out of the playoffs! They had a 3-0 lead since the 51st minute thanks to Victor Osimhen's hat-trick - the Galatasaray striker finally delivered when it mattered most - but even that wasn't enough, as they would have to rely on DR Congo and hope the Leopards wouldn't win.

The Super Eagles celebrate Onyeka's goal that took them to the World Cup (©Nsidibe Akpan/Gallo Images)

Kudos to Osimhen, but the real Super Eagles' hero was Frank Onyeka - the man who scored the fourth goal in added time, thus propelling Nigeria past Burkina Faso in the second-placed team ranking due to a better goal difference.

In the end, the Congolese triumphed, and the Stallions were left empty-handed.

BURKINA FASO'S (ANOTHER) TRAGEDY

Had it not been for Onyeka's late goal, we'd be talking about Burkina Faso as a playoff participant and shaking our heads, thinking of Nigeria's massive failure. But alas...

Traore Brama's men had a fantastic qualifying campaign but were short of just one goal in the end. Looking at their results, a draw and a defeat against Egypt were decent. However, the draws against Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone at home cost them dearly.

Moreover, Burkina Faso were 2-0 up at the break in a clash against the Leone Stars, but gambled away the lead, conceding the leveller in the 87th minute.

Burkina Faso manager, Brama Traore, in despair (©AFP)

Nevertheless, this wasn't the first Stallions' calvary...

In the 2010, 2018, and 2022 World Cup qualifiers, they finished second in their respective groups behind Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Algeria. In 2014, they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Desert Foxes thanks to the away goals rule!

Until yesterday, that was their greatest disappointment, and now...

HARAMBEE STARS' BEST QUALIFYING CAMPAIGN AND BRIGHT FUTURE

Had Kenya started the qualifiers with Benny McCarthy on the bench instead of Engin Firat, who knows what would have happened? Perhaps the Harambee Stars wouldn't have jeopardized the giants Ivory Coast and Gabon, but they would have definitely collected more points.

Still, these World Cup qualifiers were the most successful (point-wise) in Kenya's history, as they won 12 points, their best-ever tally.

At first glance, the results were decent, though some chances were missed. For instance, they could have beaten Burundi at home (drew 1-1) and perhaps won a point or two more against Gambia (a draw and a loss). However, a goalless tie against the Ivory Coast remains Kenya's most tremendous success in the recently finished campaign.

Ryan Ogam relishes growth under McCarthy’s Harambee Stars setup

The captain, Michael Olunga, once again stepped up and was the eighth leading scorer in the qualifiers with six goals. The new Wolfsberger gem, Ryan Ogam, followed him with four goals, while his winner against Burundi in Bujumbura will be remembered.

CABO VERDE'S MIRACLE AND CAMEROON'S PLAYING WITH FATE

We've already mentioned that Cabo Verde made a colossal upset and left Cameroon behind, securing their maiden World Cup qualification. The Blue Sharks became the smallest country by area and the second smallest by population (after Iceland) to participate in the elite tournament.

Led by the home strategist Pedro Leitao Brito "Bubista" from the bench, the super-experienced custodian Vozinha and defender Stopira, the two Semedos, Willy and Yannick, and the team's top scorer and hero Dailon Rocha Livramento, the crew worth only €28.4 million (according to Transfermarkt) managed to overtake the Indomitable Lions, worth almost ten times more (€210.9 million, to be precise), and reached the World Cup.

Celebration in the streets of Cabo Verde after the win over Eswatini (©AFP)

Even though the Portuguese Casa Pia striker, Livramento, scored "just" four goals in the qualifiers, his winner against Cameroon and deadlock-breaker against Eswatini in two decisive games will forever remain etched in the minds of all the people in Cabo Verde.

On the other hand, the Indomitable Lions fell seriously short, and now they'll have to clean up their mess in the playoffs, which will be a "Herculean task." Therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise if Cameroon missed the upcoming World Cup, especially considering everything that happened between the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) Samuel Eto'o and the manager Marc Brys.

PURE PERFECTION AND TWO DEADLOCKS THAT REMAINED UNBROKEN

As many as five teams - Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia - ended the qualifiers undefeated, proving that the gap between the top-notch African crews and the others is still vast. However, the Elephants and the Eagles of Carthage pushed the limits even further, recording campaigns without a single conceded goal!

Yes, you read it right - Ivory Coast and Tunisia's nets remained intact in ten matches each of them played in the qualifiers. Emerse Fae's crew recorded eight wins and two draws with a 25-0 goal difference, while Sami Trabelsi's men had a 9-1-0 score and a 22-0 GD.

In the end, Morocco, the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists, deserved to be mentioned separately, as they were the only crew out of 53 participating teams with all the triumphs, though they played only eight games, as Eritrea had withdrawn from the qualifiers.

"MIDDLE CLASS" THAT STARTED THREATENING THE GIANTS

The African giants mostly managed to live up to expectations as favourites, but even if they did, they struggled much more thanks to the "middle-class" teams, which started causing trouble.

Benin almost ruined South Africa and Nigeria's plans, Libya left Angola - which had participated in the 2006 WC - behind, as did Niger to Tanzania and the 2012 AFCON champions, Zambia, while Liberia and Namibia fought bravely for the second spot behind the untouchable Tunisia.

TACTICAL ANALYSIS : How Ivory Coast dismantled Harambee Stars forcing McCarthy to adopt 3 different formations

As for the disappointments, Guinea and Mali fell seriously short, finishing fourth and third, respectively, in their groups. Serhou Guirassy and Co. had a poor campaign, as they were surpassed by Uganda and Mozambique, while Mali - Ghana's main competition in Group I - finished behind the brave Madagascar.

BIG NAMES OUT OF THE 2026 WORLD CUP

Alongside the Guirassy mentioned above, several other popular names will watch the World Cup on TV or from the stands, though they mainly come from two teams - The Gambia (Yankuba Minteh, Musa Barrow) and Mali (Yves Bissouma, Amadou Haidara, Mamadou Sangare).

Given that only one team will progress from the African playoffs to the inter-confederational playoffs, the crowd in North America may not see names like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andre Onana, Bryan Mbeumo, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Yoane Wissa...

GHANA'S HERO - JORDAN AYEW

In the end, after all mentioned teams, one particular player deserved to find his place in a separate part of this article. The man who carried Ghana through the qualifiers and is the main reason the Black Stars didn't suffer another humiliation and missed the World Cup the way they'll miss the upcoming AFCON - Jordan Ayew.

Jordan Ayew in action for Ghana (©Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images/Gallo Images)

Ghana's battle for the top spot with Madagascar was fierce, as the Barea even topped the group midway through the qualifiers. However, the Leicester City striker stepped up, scoring seven goals in as many games, and sealed the deal for his team.

This way, he upheld the tradition started by his older brother Andre. Currently, the Ayew brothers are the two leading Ghana appearance-makers with 337 games combined! Jordan is presently trailing three matches, but it's only a matter of time before he becomes the leader.

These qualifiers were a wild ride, full of excitement, turnarounds, beautiful goals... Some teams met the expectations, some fell short, some showed they had a bright future, but each of them fought honourably for their countries. And sometimes, that's all that matters.

The next stop for the African teams will be the upcoming AFCON (December 21, 2025 - January 18, 2026), while the World Cup qualifiers are now put ad acta - at least for some teams.

The playoff participants will fight decisive battles in Morocco in November, when the African representative in the inter-confederational playoffs will be determined. The semi-finals are scheduled for November 13 (Nigeria-Gabon and Cameroon-DR Congo), while the grand final will be played three days later.

TEAMS THAT HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP DIRECTLY: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cabo Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast

PLAYOFF PARTICIPANTS: Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, DR Congo