4 weeks ago
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By Enitan Abdultawab
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are gradually wrapping up crossed each continents, and African countries are fiercely competing for their places connected football’s biggest stage.
In Africa, a full of 9 teams suffice automatically for the prestigious tournament. These teams indispensable person finished archetypal from their groups. Then, different squad volition articulation them, albeit aft a bid of play-off matches.
These play-off are played betwixt 4 teams that finished powerfully successful second-place down their radical leader.
Hence, they are called champion second-placed teams oregon champion losers. They are usually determined by the full of points accumulated.
As it stands, determination are a mates of teams that look similar they mightiness publication a spot via the champion losers’ spot. They presently person a beardown presumption fixed their currents points and the prime of matches remaining to play.
This nonfiction examines 5 African countries that are beardown contenders for the 4 disposable play-off spots, namely:
Gabon – Group F (19 points)
Gabon person truly impressed successful their pursuit connected Ivory Coast who beryllium 1 constituent supra them. However, Ivory Coast are flying precocious with their remaining 2 fixtures with bottom-table Seychelles and Kenya portion Gabon look Gambia and Burundi. Gabon would conscionable anticipation to clasp unto their ain and decorativeness successful 2nd place, fixed that Ivory Coast bash not look similar dropping points.
Madagascar – Group I (16 points)
Madagascar mightiness bask the mediocre prime from Comoros, Central African Republic, Mali, Chad – each whom beryllium beneath them to decorativeness arsenic 1 of the champion losers. However, with Comoros chasing them, they person to bushed Comoros successful their adjacent lucifer and anticipation to decorativeness good against Mali. Ghana, the radical leaders, would larn from their past mistakes and mightiness conscionable clasp unto their ain against Central African Republic and Comoros.
Congo – Group B (16 points)
Congo volition play Sudan and Togo, some whom beryllium straight beneath them. It is imaginable that they dispose these 2 nations successful different to pursuit Senegal who beryllium first. However, they mightiness yet decorativeness 2nd spot beneath Senegal whose 2 matches are comparatively casual – an distant crippled astatine South Sudan and a location lucifer versus Mauritania.
Burkina Faso – Group A (15 points)
A whooping 5 points abstracted Egypt and Burkina Faso successful archetypal and 2nd respectively. Burkina Faso volition beryllium looking to wrapper things up and mightiness decorativeness 2nd should they unafraid victories against Sierra Leone and Ethiopia portion Egypt are poised to decorativeness archetypal with matches against Djibouti and Guinea Bissau.
South Africa – Group C (14 points)
Unfortunately, South Africa should already beryllium looking to wrapper things up arsenic radical leaders but they mislaid 3 points to FIFA punishment due to the fact that they fielded an ineligible subordinate erstwhile they played Lesotho. Now, they beryllium 2nd successful radical C with 14 points, tied with Benin Republic with the aforesaid points. They play Zimbabwe and Rwanda adjacent and volition beryllium hoping to suffice to play play-off amidst troubles that they face. They mightiness payment from the gathering betwixt Nigeria (third) and Benin Republic (first) arsenic 1 of these teams would driblet points eventually.
The station 2026 FIFA WCQ: 5 African countries apt to publication 4 losers’ spots appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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