The 2026 World Cup might still feel a long way off, but this Friday Africa could already have its first team officially booked for the tournament. And it’s not just any squad. We’re talking about Morocco, the surprise semifinalist in Qatar back in 2022, a team that stopped being just a nice story and proved it belongs at the top. The mathematics is simple: beat Niger at home, and as long as Tanzania does not beat Congo at home on the same day, the ticket belongs to them. Even a draw will do if Tanzania makes the mistake. And if so, Morocco will be the first African nation to have ensured themselves a place at the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The rise of a giant and Salah's Egypt
Morocco's qualification campaign really leaves nothing uncertain. Top and through of Group E, the only way they won't reach the World Cup is in an fanciful scenario: Tanzania somehow bridging a six-point gap with nine on hand.
Egypt is closing in on a place, too. At the top of Group A with 16 points are Mohamed Salah and his teammates, who must take on Ethiopia on Friday in Cairo. Provided they deliver and Burkina Faso stumbles against Djibouti, the difference is eight with just nine remaining. Everyone knows the Liverpool striker would cherish another World Cup, but what's evident now is how strong and consistent this Egyptian side looks compared with past cycles.
South Africa, too, is starting to stir. The Bafana Bafana, having hosted the 2010 World Cup, have had their fair share of ups and downs, but at the moment they're sitting pretty at the top of Group C on 13 points. The prognosis is positive: beat Lesotho, hope that Zimbabwe and Benin cancel each other out, and even see Nigeria falter against Rwanda. If all those stars are aligned, South Africa would find themselves very much in the picture suddenly.
How qualifying looks around the globe
And though Africa is set to gain its first confirmed sides, things elsewhere are very different. In South America, the list is all but closed: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay are already there. There is but one playoff spot left on the table. Six nations — Australia, South Korea, Iran, Japan, Jordan, and Uzbekistan — are already in Asia, with two automatic spots and one playoff opportunity available.
Europe, though, is just getting started. There are 16 spots available there and it's open for business, leaving plenty of space for shock. Oceania is already taken by New Zealand, and in North America, the make-or-break phase is just starting to take shape.