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Matchday 6 of the FIFA World Cup African qualifiers delivered pivotal results across the continent, with Algeria, Ghana, Morocco and Egypt consolidating their leads, while Group C and Group B saw late twists that could define qualification hopes.
South Africa took command in Group C, DR Congo leapfrogged rivals in Group B, and Ghana pulled clear in Group I with another dominant win.
There was also heartbreak for Nigeria and Tunisia left it late once again.
Here is the complete breakdown by group:
Group A: Egypt edge tight encounter as Ethiopia hit six
Results:
- Egypt 1-0 Sierra Leone
- Burkina Faso 2-1 Guinea-Bissau
- Ethiopia 6-1 Djibouti
Mohamed Salah’s 41st-minute strike helped Egypt maintain top spot with a narrow win over Sierra Leone in Cairo. Burkina Faso kept up the chase with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Guinea-Bissau, while Ethiopia produced a shock performance of the round with a 6-1 demolition of Djibouti.
Standings:
- Egypt – 16 pts
- Burkina Faso – 11 pts
- Sierra Leone – 8 pts
- Ethiopia – 6 pts
- Guinea-Bissau – 6 pts
- Djibouti – 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Egypt vs Ethiopia
- Guinea-Bissau vs Sierra Leone
- Djibouti vs Burkina Faso
Group B: DR Congo go top, Senegal and Sudan tied
Results:
- DR Congo 2-0 Mauritania
- Senegal 2-0 Togo
- Sudan 1-1 South Sudan
DR Congo returned to the summit with a composed 2-0 win over Mauritania. Senegal matched them on points after seeing off Togo, while Sudan’s draw with South Sudan dropped them into third place.
Standings:
- DR Congo – 13 pts
- Senegal – 12 pts
- Sudan – 12 pts
- Togo – 3 pts
- South Sudan – 3 pts
- Mauritania – 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Senegal vs Sudan
- South Sudan vs DR Congo
- Somalia vs Guinea
Group C: South Africa step ahead as Nigeria slip again
Results:
- Benin 0-2 South Africa
- Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe
- Rwanda 1-1 Lesotho
Bafana Bafana strengthened their grip on Group C with a composed 2-0 away win in Benin. Nigeria’s hopes were dented by a late equaliser from Zimbabwe, while Rwanda and Lesotho cancelled each other out.
Standings:
- South Africa – 13 pts
- Rwanda – 8 pts
- Benin – 8 pts
- Nigeria – 7 pts
- Lesotho – 6 pts
- Zimbabwe – 4 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Benin vs Zimbabwe
- Lesotho vs South Africa
- Malawi vs Nigeria
Group D: Cape Verde edge Angola as Cameroon stay close
Results:
- Cape Verde 2-1 Angola
- Cameroon 3-1 Libya
- Mauritius 3-3 Eswatini
Cape Verde snatched a crucial win over Angola, while Cameroon thrashed Libya to stay a point off the top. Mauritius and Eswatini served up a six-goal thriller but shared the spoils.
Standings:
- Cape Verde – 13 pts
- Cameroon – 12 pts
- Libya – 8 pts
- Angola – 7 pts
- Mauritius – 5 pts
- Eswatini – 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Angola vs Libya
- Cameroon vs Eswatini
- Mauritius vs Cape Verde
Group E: Morocco flawless, Atlas Lions pull clear
Results:
- Morocco 2-0 Tanzania
Morocco kept their perfect record intact with a 2-0 win over Tanzania to make it five wins from five and stay top of Group E.
Standings:
- Morocco – 15 pts (5 games)
- Niger – 6 pts (4 games)
- Tanzania – 6 pts (5 games)
- Zambia – 3 pts (4 games)
- Congo – 0 pts (3 games)
- Eritrea – 0 pts (0 games)
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Morocco vs Niger
Group F: Cote d’Ivoire reclaim top, Burundi explode
Results:
- Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 Gambia
- Burundi 5-0 Seychelles
- Kenya 1-2 Gabon
Gabon stayed hot on the heels of Cote d’Ivoire after an impressive 2-1 win over Kenya. Burundi produced a five-star show against Seychelles to rise to third.
Standings:
- Cote d’Ivoire – 16 pts
- Gabon – 15 pts
- Burundi – 10 pts
- Kenya – 6 pts
- Gambia – 4 pts
- Seychelles – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Cote d’Ivoire vs Burundi
- Kenya vs Gambia
- Seychelles vs Gabon
Group G: Amoura hat-trick lifts Algeria, Uganda bounce back
Results:
- Algeria 5-1 Mozambique
- Uganda 1-0 Guinea
- Botswana 2-0 Somalia
Algeria produced a commanding performance to dispatch Mozambique with Amoura netting a hat-trick. Uganda edged Guinea while Botswana swept Somalia aside.
Standings:
- Algeria – 15 pts
- Mozambique – 12 pts
- Botswana – 9 pts
- Uganda – 9 pts
- Guinea – 7 pts
- Somalia – 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Algeria vs Botswana
- Uganda vs Mozambique
- Somalia vs Guinea
Group H: Tunisia leave it late, Namibia stall
Results:
- Tunisia 2-0 Malawi
- Namibia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
- Liberia 2-1 Sao Tome and Principe
Late goals from Jaziri and Achouri earned Tunisia a win over Malawi. Namibia were held by Equatorial Guinea while Liberia edged Sao Tome.
Standings:
- Tunisia – 16 pts
- Namibia – 12 pts
- Liberia – 10 pts
- Equatorial Guinea – 7 pts
- Malawi – 6 pts
- Sao Tome and Principe – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Tunisia vs Liberia
- Namibia vs Malawi
- Sao Tome and Principe vs Equatorial Guinea
Group I: Ghana dominate, Madagascar make gains
Results:
- Ghana 3-0 Madagascar
- Mali 0-0 Central Africa Republic
- Comoros 1-1 Chad
Ghana pulled away at the top with a commanding 3-0 win over Madagascar. Mali were held by CAR while Comoros dropped points against winless Chad.
Standings:
- Ghana – 15 pts
- Comoros – 12 pts
- Madagascar – 10 pts
- Mali – 9 pts
- Central Africa – 5 pts
- Chad – 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Chad vs Ghana
- Madagascar vs Central Africa Republic
- Mali vs Comoros
Top Scorers (after Matchday 6)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 6 goals
- Jordan Ayew (Ghana) – 5 goals
- Mohamed Amoura (Algeria) – 5 goals
- Lassina Traoré (Burkina Faso) – 5 goals
- Trezeguet (Egypt) – 5 goals
- Denis Bouanga (Gabon) – 5 goals
- Kamory Doumbia (Mali) – 5 goals
