Africa’s World Cup Qualifiers in Numbers

Sofiane Rahimi of Morocco celebrates goal during the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2026 match between Congo and Morocco held at Agadir Stadium in Agadir, Morocco on 11 June 2024 ©BackpagePix

by Graeme Jackson

Wednesday Jun 12, 2024. 17:00

Matchday 4 of Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers wrapped up on Tuesday, revealing a clearer picture of the teams well on course to reach the tournament in two years’ time… and those that have their work cut out for them.

These are the numbers and statistics which have defined the qualifiers thus far.

103 – The number of matches played thus far in Africa’s qualification tournament.

243 – The number of goals scored, at an average of 2.36 per match.

5 – The top scorers have netted five goals apiece: Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan (both Egypt).

10 – The number of points recorded by Egypt (Group A), Sudan (B), Ivory Coast (F) and Tunisia (H) – the most of any teams in the tournament this far.

100 – Morocco are the only team with a 100 percent record, having won all three matches in Group E (this group is offset in terms of fixtures played due to the withdrawal of Eritrea and the postponed clash between Congo and Niger).

6 – The number of teams which have yet to register a point in the qualifiers (not including Eritrea, who have withdrawn): Chad, Sao Tome & Principe, Somalia, Seychelles, Congo and Eswatini.

4 – Egypt hold the biggest lead at the top of a group, as they are four points clear of nearest chasers Guinea-Bissau in Group A.

5 – Just five points covers all six teams in Group C, which features a three-way lead between Rwanda, South Africa and Benin (seven points), followed by Lesotho (five), Nigeria (three) and Zimbabwe (two).

0 – The number of matches won by Nigeria thus far in the qualifiers. Alongside Togo, they are the only teams which have qualified for a World Cup in the past that have yet to register a win in this qualification tournament.

3 – The number of teams leading their groups who have never qualified for a World Cup before: Sudan (Group B), Rwanda (C) and Comoros (I).

669,496 – The combined crowd attendance in the qualifiers thus far, at an average of 6,500 per match.

280 – The number of days until the qualifiers resume, assuming a start date of Wednesday 19 March 2025 for Matchday 5.

729 – The number of days until the start of the FIFA World Cup on 11 June 2026.