From broken records to struggling powerhouses, we take a look back at some of the highlights from the early stages of African qualifying for FIFA World Cup in 2026.
The first two rounds of fixtures in the African zone qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup looked fascinating on paper, and they certainly did not disappoint.
From 15 to 21 November, the 53 nations involved in the African qualifying campaign kicked off their quest to secure one of the nine automatic spots up for grabs at football’s most illustrious event, which this time around will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Ahead of the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in January and February, FIFA looks back at these initial encounters by highlighting four stories that emerged from an action-packed week.
Comoros claim historic wins
In their opening group game, Comoros collected three points for the first time ever in a World Cup qualifier via a 4-2 victory over Central African Republic. Kassim M’Dahoma, Rafiki Said, Bendjaloud Youssouf and Myziane Maolida, who all play for clubs in the lower leagues in France and Germany, scored the all-important goals for Les Coelacantes, who have only been taking part in the qualifying process since 2007.
Up until Friday, the islanders had recorded six defeats and four draws. “I have to say a huge ‘thank you’ to our fans, because they really got behind the players, which inspired them,” their Italian coach Stefano Cusin told Africa Top Sports.
“I feel proud on behalf of the Comorian people. If we were able to bring them a bit of joy this afternoon, then that’s important. As we move forward, we have to keep our feet on the ground, not get too carried away, and keep working to stay competitive.”
Four days later, Comoros built on their initial success by pulling off a shock 1-0 win over Ghana, with Maolida again finding the net.
Côte d’Ivoire set new bar
By defeating the Seychelles 9-0 in Group F, Côte d’Ivoire set a new record winning margin in an African World Cup qualifier. Sebastien Haller scored first to open the floodgates, and he was followed by Ibrahim Sangare, Simon Adringa, Karim Konate (2), Seko Fofana, Hamed Junior Traore (2) and Jean-Philippe Krasso. “I’d asked my players to respect our opponents and show their clinical side,” Jean-Louis Gasset, coach of Les Elephants, said in a post-match interview.
“We created plenty of chances, and a variety of players finished them off.” The previous holders of the record were Congo DR, who beat Djibouti 9-1 in the qualifiers for Korea/Japan 2002 at the Stade des Martyrs. That one-sided clash still remains the CAF qualifying match with the highest number of goals.
Nigeria stumble
Deprived of talismanic striker Victor Osimhen through injury, Nigeria did not lose their first two matches, but they did not win them either. Jose Peseiro’s men registered two disappointing 1-1 draws, at home against Lesotho and away to Zimbabwe, coming from behind on both occasions.
The Super Eagles will console themselves with the fact that they have now gone an incredible 46 matches without losing a World Cup qualifier. Elsewhere, Tunisia moved ahead of Nigeria in terms of qualifying wins, reaching a total of 64 (versus Nigeria’s 62) with victories over São Tomé and Príncipe (4-0) and Malawi (1-0).
Credit: fifa.com
