Ivory Coast and Senegal Seal 2026 World Cup Tickets: Africa's Final Wave
14 October 2025
Senegal and Ivory Coast clinch 2026 World Cup spots
Ivory Coast and Senegal secured their places for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico after topping Africa's qualifying groups on Tuesday night.
Senegal, captained by Sadio Mane, celebrated a 4-0 victory over Mauritania in Dakar, sealing the group with 24 points, while DR Congo finished second with 22 and Sudan third with 13.
Mané opened from a free-kick on 45 minutes and added a second early in the second half (48), Elimane Ndai extended the lead on 65 minutes, and Habib Diallo completed the scoring with a strike at 85, all in front of the home crowd.
In the same group, DR Congo defeated Sudan 1-0, with Teo Bongonda scoring on 29 minutes to secure a playoff place.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast beat Kenya 3-0 in Abidjan to top Group 6 with 26 points, ahead of Gabon on 25 and Gambia on 13. Frank Kessi opened the scoring in the 7th minute via a pass from Amad Diallo; Yann Diomande doubled the lead with a solo run in the 54th, and Diallo added the third with a late free-kick in the 84th.
Gabon, led by veteran Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, secured a playoff spot with a 2-0 win over Burundi in Libreville, with Bryan Mieu Ngwa scoring at 86 and Mario Lemina at 90+1. Gambia crushed Seychelles 7-0 in a lopsided match.
South Africa also returned to the World Cup race with a 3-0 victory over Rwanda in Mbombela, keeping hopes alive as Nigeria and Benin trailed behind.
Four second-placed teams—Gabon, DR Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria—advanced to the African playoff. Morocco will host a mini-tournament in November to decide one team that will join the global playoff in March 2026. The six teams will be split into two paths, with the ultimate winner earning a place in the World Cup finals.
The seeding for the global playoff will be determined by the FIFA rankings published on 23 October, introducing a calculated scramble to reach the finals.
In short, Africa is crisply lining up its last gate to the World Cup, and the drama isn’t over yet—the playoff stage promises more twists than a dribble in the box. And now, for a couple of light jabs: If football were a cuisine, today’s qualifiers would be a spicy continental stew—lots of heat, a pinch of luck, and a dash of VAR sprinkled on top. And remember, if your team misses the 2026 party, there’s always the next World Cup—where the ball, as always, has the final say about who really deserves a seat at the table.
