Egypt knew one win from the final two rounds of matches would be enough to secure top spot in Group A, and Hossam Hassan’s side eased to a 3-0 away victory over Djibouti in neutral Casablanca.
Ibrahim Adel nodded in Zizo’s cross to put the Pharaohs ahead in the eighth minute and Liverpool forward Salah latched on to Trezeguet’s through ball to stab in the second six minutes later.
Salah’s form for the Reds this season has come under scrutiny, but he remained in the thick of the action, curling over the bar and almost providing a third goal before the break as Mostafa Mohamed flicked his cross onto an upright.
The tempo of the game dropped in the second half but Salah made it 3-0 late on with a superb first-time lob inside the box.
The Pharaohs become the third African side to secure their World Cup ticket, joining fellow North Africans Morocco and Tunisia.
Egypt have won a record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles but have struggled to replicate their continental form in World Cup qualifying over the years – appearing at football’s greatest event on just three previous occasions, in 1934, 1990 and 2018.
Burkina Faso finish second in Group A after Mohamed Zougrana’s effort was enough to beat Sierra Leone.
The Stallions remain in the hunt to finish as one of four best-placed runners-up and reach the continental play-offs.
Credit: bbc.com
