LIVERPOOL star Mohamed Salah could secure Egypt’s place at the 2026 World Cup with a victory against Burkina Faso in their crucial African qualifier on Tuesday.
Salah will captain the Pharaohs in a top-of-the-table Group A clash where a win would guarantee their qualification with two matches remaining.
The Egyptian team maintained their five-point lead over Burkina Faso with a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia on Friday, featuring a penalty conversion by Salah and another spot kick from Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush.
Burkina Faso responded with an impressive 6-0 thrashing of Djibouti, with recent Brentford signing Dango Ouattara scoring twice despite missing an earlier penalty.
This match marks Burkina Faso’s first home game in Ouagadougou during the 2026 World Cup campaign after their previous stadium was barred from hosting international fixtures.
Egypt previously defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 in Cairo last year thanks to two early goals from Mahmoud Hassan, popularly known as Trezeguet, within seven minutes of kick-off.
The Egyptian attack has been formidable throughout qualifying, scoring 16 goals in seven matches with Salah contributing seven and Trezeguet adding five.
Salah currently sits second in the African Golden Boot race, just one goal behind Gabonese striker Denis Bouanga.
Even with a potential loss in Burkina Faso, Egypt would maintain a two-point lead and face strugglers Djibouti and Guinea-Bissau in their final October matches.
Securing World Cup qualification would provide immense relief for Egypt, who have won seven Africa Cup of Nations titles but only qualified for the World Cup twice previously.
Tunisia could become Africa’s second qualifiers if they defeat Equatorial Guinea on Monday, maintaining their perfect record of six wins and one draw in Group H.
Several other African nations are positioned to take significant steps toward qualification this week, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Cape Verde, and South Africa.
African champions Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Ghana also have opportunities to virtually seal their World Cup places with positive results in their upcoming matches.
Mali face a must-win situation against group leaders Ghana to keep their qualification hopes alive through either group victory or the playoff route. – AFP