Mohamed Salah is heading back to the World Cup. The Liverpool forward netted twice in Egypt’s commanding 3–0 victory over Djibouti on Wednesday, securing their spot atop Group A in African qualifying with one match still to play. Ibrahim Adel added a third goal, sealing Egypt’s place among the continent’s elite.
Egypt becomes the third African nation to qualify for next summer’s tournament, joining Morocco and Tunisia. The draw is scheduled for December 5 in Washington, D.C., where nine African teams will earn direct entry.
Salah previously featured in the 2018 World Cup, though his campaign was marred by a shoulder injury sustained during Liverpool’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid. Egypt exited early that year, losing all three group-stage matches to Russia, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.
Elsewhere in Group A, Burkina Faso kept pace with a 1–0 win over Sierra Leone. In other qualifiers:
- Ethiopia edged Guinea-Bissau 1–0.
- Cape Verde staged a dramatic comeback from 3–1 down to draw 3–3 with Libya, inching closer to a historic first World Cup appearance. They now lead Group D by two points over Cameroon, who beat Mauritius 2–0 thanks to goals from Nicolas Ngamaleu and Bryan Mbeumo.
- Angola and Eswatini played to a 2–2 draw.
- Ghana crushed the Central African Republic 5–0, needing just one more point to clinch qualification. Madagascar remains second in Group I after a 2–1 win over Comoros.
- Mali earned a 2–0 away win against Chad.
- Niger defeated Congo 3–1.
- Zambia edged Tanzania 1–0 in Group E.
With the final matches looming, Africa’s road to the World Cup is intensifying and Egypt, led by a resurgent Salah, is already there.
