Egypt Leads In Race For World Cup Spot

(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) São Paulo – By defeating Sierra Leone 1-0, Egypt solidified its lead in Group A of the qualifiers and increased its chances of reaching the 2026 World Cup through the African continent. The team, led by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, is now five points ahead of second-place Burkina Faso in their group. In the final round of the qualifiers ending on Tuesday (25), Morocco and Algeria, both African Arab countries like Egypt, took another step closer to the tournament.

Morocco defeated Tanzania 2-0 in a match held in Oujda on Tuesday, with goals from Nayef Aguerd and Brahim Díaz. Coach Walid Regragui's team leads Group E, six points ahead of Tanzania, and only depends on itself to secure qualification for the tournament.

Algeria, in turn, faces the challenge of overcoming Mozambique in the battle for first place in Group G. Even after defeating their rival 5-1 in Boukhalfa on Tuesday, the Algerian team is only three points ahead of Mozambique at the top of Group G. Tunisia, another African Arab country, leads Group H with 16 points, also just three points ahead of Equatorial Guinea after defeating Malawi 2-0 on Monday. Comoros, also an African Arab nation, holds second place in Group I with 12 points, behind Ghana, after losing 3-0 at home to Mali.

The top teams from each group directly qualify for the World Cup. The African continent will have 16 spots in the tournament. The remaining four spots will be filled through playoff matches from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

UAE fires coach

There are also Arab countries competing for a spot in the World Cup through Asia. In the Asian qualifiers, the United Arab Emirates will face a tougher challenge to secure a World Cup spot. The Arab nation's team struggled to defeat North Korea 2-1 on Tuesday in a Group A match held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It now has 13 points, behind Uzbekistan and group leader Iran, which has already qualified for the World Cup. In Group A, fourth place is held by Qatar, which was defeated 3-1 by Kyrgyzstan.

On Wednesday (26), the UAE Football Association fired Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, even after the victory. They will now seek a new coach for the remaining two qualifying matches, aiming to bring the country to the World Cup after more than 30 years of absence. To achieve this, the UAE team features eight naturalized Brazilian players. One of them, Fabio Lima, scored one of the goals against North Korea.

Jordan is in second place in Group B, with 13 points, behind South Korea, while Saudi Arabia holds third place in Group C, with 10 points, behind Australia and Japan, which is also already preparing for the competition in North America.

Asia will have eight teams in the World Cup, with spots guaranteed to the top two teams from each of the groups-A, B, and C. The teams finishing in third and fourth place will compete for the remaining two spots in a new phase. In Group B, behind Jordan, are Iraq (12 points), Oman (10 points), Palestine (6 points), and Kuwait (5 points). Group C still features Bahrain in fifth place with five points, ahead of only China.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico have already guaranteed spots in the World Cup as host countries, along with Argentina, Iran, Japan, and New Zealand. Brazil is in fourth place in the qualifiers with 21 points, after being thrashed 4-1 by Argentina on Tuesday. The next two qualifying matches will take place in June.

The 2026 World Cup will take place in Mexico, the US, and Canada.

Read more:
UAE national team calls up eight Brazilian players

Translated by Guilherme Miranda

©Mohamed Elshahed/Anadolu/AFP

The post Egypt leads in race for World Cup spot appeared first on ANBA News Agency .

MENAFN26032025000213011057ID1109362013