Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah leads the goal-scoring chart in Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers, with six goals to his name, while Morocco remain the only team with a perfect record after five rounds of matches.

Salah’s Scoring Spree

The 32-year-old Egyptian forward has been instrumental in Egypt’s qualification campaign, netting four goals in a 6-0 thrashing of Djibouti on the opening day. He has since added goals against Guinea-Bissau and Ethiopia, maintaining his prolific form.

Salah’s closest challengers include Algerian striker Mohamed Amoura, who scored a hat-trick in Algeria’s 5-1 victory over Mozambique, bringing his tally to five goals—a figure shared by five other players.

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Upsets Shake Group C

Group C has produced some of the biggest surprises in the qualifiers, with Nigeria falling victim to several shock results.

• Lesotho, considered underdogs, held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in Uyo.
• Rwanda capitalized on poor weather conditions to defeat South Africa.
• Benin staged a dramatic comeback to beat Nigeria.
• Most recently, Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chirewa scored a stoppage-time goal to snatch a 1-1 draw against Nigeria, further complicating the Super Eagles’ qualification hopes.

Nigeria, a traditional powerhouse in African football, now sit six points behind group leaders South Africa, raising concerns about their World Cup ambitions.

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Common Scorelines and Dominant Wins

Data from 151 matches played so far reveals 1-0 as the most frequent result, appearing 33 times. Other popular outcomes include:

• 2-1 and 2-0 scorelines (21 times each)
• 1-1 draws (19 times)
• 0-0 stalemates (15 times)

High-scoring encounters have been rare, with the biggest margin of victory coming from Ivory Coast, who hammered Seychelles 9-0.

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Top Seeds Stay on Course

Of the ten top-seeded teams, five—Egypt, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Tunisia—lead their groups.

Cameroon and Senegal, both perennial World Cup contenders, trail their respective group leaders—Cape Verde and DR Congo—by a single point.

Meanwhile, Nigeria and Mali are struggling in fourth place, facing an uphill battle to revive their World Cup qualification hopes.

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Morocco’s Flawless Run

Morocco, Africa’s standout team at the 2022 World Cup, are the only nation with a 100 percent win record.

The Atlas Lions have won five consecutive matches, including comprehensive victories against Tanzania (2-0), Zambia (2-1), and a 6-0 demolition of Congo Brazzaville. Due to stadium unavailability, Congo and Niger played their home matches against Morocco on Moroccan soil—a factor that may have aided the North African giants.

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Looking Ahead

With four matchdays remaining—two in September and two in October—the battle for Africa’s nine automatic spots at the 2026 World Cup is intensifying.

While Morocco and Egypt appear on track for qualification, Nigeria and Mali must navigate a challenging path to avoid missing out on football’s biggest stage.