The penultimate window of African preliminaries for the FIFA World Cup 26™ is complete, with the first two qualifiers from the continent now confirmed in the shape of Morocco and Tunisia. Here, FIFA shines the spotlight on the standout performers from this latest round of African fixtures.
Lyle Foster (South Africa)
South Africa are closing in on qualification for the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament back in 2010, and striker Lyle Foster is playing a key role. Having also caught the eye in the previous qualifying rounds, the player, who has recently returned to the Premier League with Burnley, once again impressed during the past week.
His tireless efforts against Lesotho (3-0) were rewarded with a goal and an assist. The 25-year-old also put in a strong performance in the crucial encounter with Nigeria (1-1), posing a constant threat on the counter. He could even have sealed the victory for Bafana Bafana with a stunning solo effort. Above all, the former Monaco man excelled in an unfamiliar role, working hard to track back and defend whenever the Super Eagles put his side under pressure. In a word, Foster is indispensable.
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
“He’s a great player to have because he can run and he can play as a six, an eight or a ten at the same time,” said Ange Postecoglou, Pape Matar Sarr’s former coach at Tottenham. And the former Metz man can also play as a striker if need be, as he demonstrated with goals in the wins over Sudan (2-0) and DR Congo (2-3), doubling his goal tally for Senegal in the process.
First, he sealed the win for the Lions of Teranga against the Nile Crocodiles in the first half with an excellent strike, leaving his side just a point behind the Leopards. Then, four days later in Kinshasa, he fired home a first-time winner from a superb Cheikh Sabaly cross in the 87th minute to complete a remarkable comeback for his side who had trailed 2-0 in the first half. The 3-2 victory saw the Senegalese move two points clear of their Congolese opponents, leaving them in pole position to seal qualification in October.
Yankuba Minteh (Gambia)
Although Gambia have officially been knocked out, finishing third in Group F behind runaway leaders Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon, they can still hold their heads high. They won both of their matches during this international break, beating Kenya 3-1 before dispatching Burundi 2-0. Yankuba Minteh was particularity impressive in the first match. Brimming with energy and posing a constant threat down the right flank, his first contribution was to plant a corner onto the head of Sheriff Sinyan at the back post to open the scoring in the 12th minute.
However, the highlight of the Brighton winger’s performance came just after the half-hour mark, as the 21-year-old won the ball in his own half before surging forward and striking first-time to convert a through ball from Musa Barrow. Four days later, he came off the bench for the last half an hour and carved out multiple clear-cut chances.
Aymen Dahmen (Tunisia)
Tunisia have booked their place in the World Cup, joining Morocco and potentially paving the way for a clean sweep for the North African nations, provided that Algeria can hold on to first place in Group C when they play next month. The Eagles of Carthage were able to seal qualification thanks to their considerable firepower – with 10 different goalscorers in eight games – and, above all, their defensive solidity. Indeed, the Tunisians are the only side from the continent, along with Côte d’Ivoire, not to have conceded a single goal in the African qualifiers, thanks in no small part to goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen.
Having recorded another clean sheet against Liberia, the 28-year-old keeper made two crucial saves against Equatorial Guinea, first stopping a powerful Saul Coco free kick and then tipping a close-range Emilio Nsue effort onto the bar. With the scores level at 0-0, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane then struck in stoppage time to seal Tunisia’s qualification for World Cup 2026.
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso)
With Egypt dominating Group A, having had an almost flawless campaign, the only thing standing between the Pharaohs and qualification has been the resilience of Burkina Faso. The Stallions are determined to fight until the end and will want to at least secure second place and keep their hopes of qualifying alive. Brama Traore’s men didn’t concede a single goal in September, largely thanks to their solid central defensive pairing and, more specifically, the formidable presence of Edmond Tapsoba.
The Bayer Leverkusen defender turned in an outstanding display to contain Egypt’s potent attack, preventing them from scoring for the first time this campaign (0-0). Tapsoba also impressed at the other end of the pitch: despite only having scored one previous goal during his career, he bagged a brace in a 6-0 victory over Djibouti, including a curled, left-foot effort and a volley struck into the ground that bounced over the keeper.
Steve Mounie (Benin)
Benin remain in contention with South Africa for first place in Group C – thanks in part to captain and top scorer Steve Mounie. The former Brest centre-forward has been a constant goal threat for the Cheetahs and, true to form, he scored the only goal in the match against Zimbabwe, with a well-placed header from a Yohan Roche cross. On matchday 8, the Benin striker took full advantage of South Africa’s draw with Nigeria (1-1) to close the gap to three points with a comfortable 4-0 win over Lesotho.
The prolific marksman opened the scoring in the sixth minute with an opportunistic volley. He then set up Andreas Hountondji with a clever back-heel for 2-0, having forced the Lesotho goalkeeper into making a poor clearance with his pressing. With five goals to his name so far in this campaign, he is still hoping to help his country secure their place in the North American showpiece.
