World Cup qualifiers: Salah leads Egypt to the World Cup and breaks African record

Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, Liverpool striker, continues to make history in golden letters after a masterful performance against Djibouti.

Thanks to a decisive brace, Salah steered the Egyptian team towards qualification for the 2026 World Cup during the ninth matchday of the African qualifiers.

New record for Salah in World Cup qualifiers

With this achievement, the Pharaohs' captain becomes the all-time top scorer in African World Cup qualifying history, with a total of 20 goals.

In doing so, he surpasses several African football legends such as Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Moumouni Dagano, and Islam Slimani, all of whom were stuck at 18 goals.

Remarkably, Salah reached this milestone in just 37 matches, while his illustrious rivals needed far more games—a testament to his ruthless efficiency and exceptional impact in the Egyptian shirt.

The Liverpool forward also strengthens his position as Egypt’s all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifiers, now with 20 goals—six more than legend Mohamed Aboutrika (14).

Finally, "Abou Makkah" stands alone at the top of the scoring chart for the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, with 9 goals, ahead of Gabon's Denis Bouanga (8), with one matchday remaining in the qualifiers.

2026 World Cup qualifiers - Africa: Bouanga, Salah, Ayew... The top scorers

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.