Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire ended their campaigns in the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in emphatic style to seal their places in next year’s World Cup.
The Teranga Lions of Senegal hammered Mauritania 4-0 with Sadio Mane scoring twice in the win and Everton winger Illiman Ndiaye adding another.
Senegal’s latest win put them on top of Group B with 24 points on the back of three draws and seven wins in 10 games.
Democratic Republic of Congo finished in second place with 22 points after beating Sudan 1-0; Congo will feature in the four nation mini tournament as one of the best second ranked nations to determine Africa’s representative in the intercontinental playoffs.
In Group F, Cote D’Ivoire beat Kenya 3-0 to top the group and return to the World Cup after missing out on the 2018 and 2022 editions.
🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire secure their spot at #FIFAWorldCup 26!#WeAre26 pic.twitter.com/9K9DbvpbEG
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 14, 2025
Former AC Milan and FC Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie and Manchester United winger Amad Diallo scored in the win.
🇸🇳 Senegal book their ticket to #FIFAWorldCup 26!#WeAre26 pic.twitter.com/7yBZS6zOMh
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 14, 2025
Both countries join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa as Africa’s representatives in next year’s tournament which is the first to have an expanded format of 48 countries.
