527,000
Cabo Verde, with a population of around 527,000, became the second-smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup. Iceland had a population of 340,000 when they reached Russia 2018. Togo, with roughly 5.9 million inhabitants in 2005, was the previous smallest African country to secure a global-finals ticket. Cabo Verde were 74th on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – and 14th in Africa – when they kicked off their campaign in November 2023.
900
Ten outfielders played all 900 minutes for their teams: Nigerian Calvin Bassey, Liberian Oscar Dorley, Senegalese Kalidou Koulibaly, Rwandans Thierry Manzi and Ange Mutsinzi, Congolese Chancel Mbemba, Namibian Aprocius Petrus, Ugandan Kenneth Semakula, Tunisian Montassar Talbi and Beninese Mohamed Tijani. Dorley and Koulibaly also played every minute for their nation in Qatar 2022 qualifying.
41
Kei Kamara, at 41 years and three days, netted an amazing header from outside the box against Guinea-Bissau. The Sierra Leone forward consequently became the second oldest player to score in African preliminary history. The legendary Kalusha Bwalya was 16 days older when he was on target for Zambia against Liberia in 2004. The only older marksman than Kamara in World Cup 26 qualifying was Paolo Guerrero, who was 41 years and 78 days when he bagged for Peru against Bolivia.
28
Tunisia finished with the most points: 28 from a possible 30. Sami Trabelsi’s side were followed by Côte d’Ivoire (26), Egypt (26), Ghana (25), Algeria (25) and Gabon (25), who grabbed more points than some automatic qualifiers but only came runners-up in F.
20
Mohamed Salah steamed on to 20 goals to become the all-time top scorer in African qualifying. ‘The Egyptian King’ netted nine times in as many games in the World Cup 26 preliminaries. Burkina Faso’s Moumouni Dagano, Côte d’Ivoire’s Didier Drogba, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Algeria’s Islam Slimani had shared the record on 18 goals apiece.
20
Mike Gaspard and Lindsay Rose got the goals as Mauritius edged Eswatini 2-1 for their first World Cup qualifying victory in 20 years. Since a 3-1 win over Uganda in November 2003, the Dodos failed to win in South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 preliminaries. São Tomé and Príncipe also ended a drought, Ronaldo Afonso`s unanswered penalty against Malawi giving them a first qualifying success in 10 years. Seychelles and South Sudan are still searching for their first-ever win in World Cup qualifying – the latter despite losing only half of their 10 Group B games.
16
South Africa will appear at their first global finals in 16 years, while Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire will return after eight years away. Congo DR, meanwhile, reached the African play-offs. If Les Léopards qualify, they will participate in a first World Cup in 52 years. It would be the fourth-biggest gap between successive participations behind Norway (56 years from 1938 to 1994, Egypt (56 years from 1934 to 1990) and Wales (64 years from 1958 to 2022).
Teams with biggest gap between successive participations
10
Mohamed Amoura struck 10 goals in his last six appearances to finish as the round’s leading marksman. The Wolfsburg striker converted two late penalties to snatch Algeria victory in their final outing and deny Mohamed Salah a shot at finishing as African qualifying’s top scorer for a record-extending third time. Curiously, Salah had scored five goals to Amoura’s zero heading into March’s preliminaries. Gabon’s Denis Bouanga and Kamory Doumbia of Mali registered eight goals apiece in the first round, and the former will now aim to augment his tally in the play-offs.
9
Morocco won all eight matches to equal South Africa’s continental record of nine consecutive World Cup qualifying victories. Mark Fish, Lucas Radebe, Quinton Fortune, John Moshoeu, Doctor Khumalo, Shaun Bartlett, Phil Masinga and Benni McCarthy helped Bafana Bafana achieve the feat between 1997 and 2001. Since a 1-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in 2015, the Atlas Lions are unbeaten in 22 preliminaries. The best-ever undefeated streak in Africa was set by Nigeria at 35 games between 2004 and 2017. The world record belongs to Spain: a mind-blowing 66 matches between 1993 and 2021.
9
Côte d’Ivoire smashed Seychelles 9-0 in the biggest victory in African qualifying history. It eclipsed Libya’s 8-0 defeat of São Tomé and Príncipe in 2003 and Algeria’s reverse of Djibouti by the same score four years ago. Les Éléphants beat the Paradise Boys 7-0 in the return fixture in Saint Pierre in the biggest all-time away success in the CAF preliminaries, which was matched by The Gambia’s thumping of the same side.
7
Morocco and Tunisia have now qualified for seven World Cups – one shy of the African record held by Cameroon, who could still reach North America. Ghana and Tunisia now co-own the record for the most World Cups reached this century they previously shared with Cameroon and Nigeria: five.
7
Jordan Ayew registered the most assists: seven. The 34-year-old Ghana forward was followed by Gabon’s Guelor Kanga (5), Madagascar’s El Hadari Raheriniaina (5), Algeria’s Mohamed Amoura (4), South Africa’s Oswin Appollis (4), Comoros’s Youssouf M’Changama (4), Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez (4) and Uganda’s Allan Okello. Ayew provided a hat-trick of assists in a 3-0 win over Madagascar. Ayew and Amoura recorded the most goal involvements: 14.
4
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sensationally scored four goals to snatch Gabon a 4-3 fightback win over The Gambia in Nairobi. It made the 36-year-old only the seventh man to net four times in an African qualifier after Cameroon’s Roger Milla in 1981, Tunisia’s Francileudo Santos in 2005, Madagascar’s Faneva Andriatsima in 2007, Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor in 2008, Algeria’s Islam Slimani’s in 2021, and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah in 2023.
Auba joins the African quadruple club
0
Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia remarkably navigated all 10 matches without conceding. Yahia Fofana kept nine clean sheets for Les Éléphants, with Alban Lafont getting the other. Aymen Dahmen and Bechir Ben Said registered six and four shutouts respectively for the Carthage Eagles.
