World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: Egypt and Ghana shine, Algeria stumbles
The World Cup 2026 qualifiers in Africa continued with the third matchday, featuring several key matchups.
Egypt 2-1 Burkina Faso: At Cairo International Stadium, Egypt solidified their lead in Group A with a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso.
Trezeguet was the star, scoring both goals for the Pharoahs, securing their third consecutive win.
This marks a strong start for coach Hossam Hassan, appointed after Egypt’s disappointing performance in the last Africa Cup of Nations.
Conversely, it was a rough debut for Burkina Faso’s new coach Brama Traoré, appointed in March.
Algeria 1-2 Guinea: In Algiers, under the watchful eye of Karim Benzema, Algeria suffered their first defeat of the qualifiers, losing 2-1 to Guinea.
Despite winning their first two matches, Vladimir Petkovic’s team couldn’t overcome the Syli, jeopardizing their campaign.
Senegal 1-1 DR Congo: The anticipated clash between Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo at Stade Maître Abdoulaye Wade ended in a 1-1 draw.
Ismaïla Sarr opened the scoring for Senegal just before halftime, but Fiston Mayélé equalized for DR Congo in the 85th minute, resulting in a tactical stalemate between coaches Aliou Cissé and Sébastien Desabre.
Ghana 2-1 Mali: In Group I, Ghana managed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mali, despite playing away.
Jordan Ayew, unlike his brother André who was not called up, secured the win for the Black Stars with a late goal.
Benin 1-0 Rwanda: Meanwhile, Benin’s Cheetahs earned their first victory of the qualifiers by defeating Rwanda 1-0, thanks to a first-half goal by Dodo Dokou.
This win also marks the first success for Benin’s coach Gernot Rohr since his appointment.
