World Cup 2026 qualifiers: why North African teams are cruising in their groups?

The North African teams are dominating their respective groups in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Barring a major setback, they are expected to secure their qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the next two matchdays, scheduled for September.

Read also: After his re-election... The three projects awaiting Motsepe at CAF

When approached by the editorial team, Egyptian journalist Ramy Abo Alwalid answered the following question: why are North Africans cruising in their groups?

In my opinion, all the North African teams, except Libya, benefited from a favorable draw as they faced manageable opponents, which explains their excellent run in the qualifiers.

Moreover, the new coaches, mostly appointed after the last Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), have brought the expected boost. For instance, Hossam Hassan has built a very competitive team thanks to his deep understanding of local football, Vladimir Petkovic's tactical touch has allowed the Algerian team to regain its former glory, and Sami Trabelsi has made the right choices with the Tunisian team.

It should not be forgotten that the North African teams have also benefited from favorable circumstances. For example, Morocco took advantage of Congo's and Eritrea's withdrawal, playing their match against Niger at home instead of in Niamey, while Tunisia played Namibia in South Africa, just as Egypt faced Ethiopia in Morocco.

Furthermore, the national federations spared no expense to ensure maximum focus on these qualifiers, unlike many other teams, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa, who failed to adequately prepare for the qualifications.

The state of the qualifiers

Egypt leads Group A with 16 points, five points ahead of their closest rival. In Group E, Morocco has accumulated 15 points, six points clear of their direct competitor, Tanzania.

Algeria, with 15 points in Group G, is three points ahead of Mozambique, while Tunisia, with 16 points, is four points ahead of Namibia.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.