Salah brace helps Egypt seal 2026 World Cup qualification with 3-0 victory over Djibouti

Egypt have officially booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after cruising to a 3-0 victory over Djibouti on Wednesday evening.

The match was played at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Morocco as part of the ninth (penultimate) round of the African qualifiers, with the Pharaohs knowing that a win would secure their passage to the global showpiece.

The team got off to the perfect start. In the 8th minute, Ahmed Sayed “Zizo” delivered a cross from the right flank, which Ibrahim Adel met with a header into the bottom corner, giving Egypt an early 1-0 lead.

Six minutes later, the Pharaohs doubled their advantage. Trezeguet threaded a brilliant through ball into the path of Mohamed Salah, who slotted home with a low left-footed finish past the goalkeeper.

That goal carried extra significance — it made Mohamed Salah the all-time leading scorer in African World Cup qualifying, overtaking Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Moumouni Dagano, and Islam Slimani, all of whom had 18 goals. Salah’s strike took him to 19.

In the 82nd minute, Salah struck again, this time with a delightful, chipped finish over the Djibouti goalkeeper to make it 3-0, extending his record tally to 20 goals in the African qualifiers.

The final whistle confirmed Egypt’s dominance and their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the Pharaohs sitting comfortably on 23 points at the top of Group A — mathematically uncatchable with one match remaining.

Their final qualifier, against Guinea-Bissau at Cairo International Stadium on Sunday, will now be a formality.

Read more: World Cup 2026 Africa qualifiers: All CAF group standings – panafricafootball

With this qualification, Hossam Hassan becomes only the second Egyptian coach in history to guide the national team to the World Cup, following the legendary Mahmoud El-Gohary.

This marks Egypt’s fourth appearance at football’s biggest stage, following previous qualifications in 1934, 1990, and 2018.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada during June and July.

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