Ghana sealed their place at next year’s FIFA World Cup after Mohammed Kudus struck early in the second half to secure a 1-0 victory over Comoros on Sunday, sparking wild celebrations at a packed Accra Stadium.
Kudus finished off a neat move by tapping in Thomas Partey’s low cross in the 47th minute, ensuring the Black Stars’ win in front of their home fans. Even a defeat would not have denied them qualification, as group rivals Madagascar suffered a 4-1 loss to Mali in Bamako at the same time.
With this result, Ghana became the fifth African team to book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It will be their fifth appearance at the global showpiece, having famously reached the quarter-finals in 2010.
Ghana entered the final round of Group I matches three points clear, with Madagascar’s faint hopes resting on a win over Mali and a Ghana defeat—an outcome quickly ruled out once Mali took the lead through Lassine Sinayoko’s 10th-minute strike. Sinayoko later completed a brace, while Dorgeles Nene and Gaoussou Diarra also found the net for Mali.
The Black Stars topped the group with 25 points, followed by Madagascar on 19 and Mali on 18. In the other Group I fixture, the Central African Republic edged Chad 3-2 in Ndjamena, leaving the hosts winless with just one point from 10 matches. Substitute Karl Namnganda netted a stoppage-time winner as the visitors ended their campaign on eight points.
Egypt End Campaign Unbeaten
Already qualified, Egypt wrapped up their Group A journey in style, maintaining an unbeaten record with a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in Cairo. With captain Mohamed Salah rested, Mohamed Hamdi scored the decisive goal in the 10th minute.
The Pharaohs collected 26 points from 10 games, winning eight, while Burkina Faso finished second after a 3-1 home victory against Ethiopia in Ouagadougou—powered by a hat-trick from Scotland-based forward Pierre Kabore. Burkina Faso will now look to advance through next month’s playoff round for the best runners-up.
Elsewhere in Group A, Djibouti briefly led against Sierra Leone but fell 2-1, missing out on their first win of the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Niger continued their impressive run by defeating Zambia 1-0 away in Group E. Daniel Sosah scored his third goal in as many qualifiers to seal the win, ensuring Niger’s place in next month’s playoffs.
