Egypt have secured automatic qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 3-0 victory over Djibouti at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Early goals from Ibrahim Adel and Mohamed Salah put Hossam Hassan’s side in control before the Liverpool striker added a third and his second of the game in the closing stages to take them five points clear of Burkina Faso with just one match remaining in qualifying.
Egypt therefore secured qualification for the global showpiece, and they were aiming to keep their unbeaten record in Group A intact, while Djibouti hoped to avoid a repeat of the previous meeting between the two teams, which saw them get crushed 6-0 back in November 2023.
The signs seemed ominous at the start when the designated hosts conceded after just eight minutes in Casablanca, with Zizo’s clipped cross from the right being headed home by Adel.
Worse was to follow as Salah quickly doubled the Pharaohs’ lead seven minutes later after he raced onto Trezeguet’s pass and toe-poked the ball past the on-rushing Omar Mahamoud.
However, the visitors failed to build on those two early goals despite dominating proceedings in the first half and despite creating several chances after the restart, they had to wait until the 84th minute to seal the victory.
The North Africans had come close on 68 minutes when chaotic scenes inside the Djibouti penalty area saw them hit the post twice in quick succession from a corner.
But it was that man Salah who eventually struck again six minutes from time with a cool finish after latching onto Marwan Ateya’s defence-splitting through-ball.
