Here are the key facts and figures from the African 2026 World Cup qualifiers after matchday six:
Chart-Topper Salah
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Mohamed Salah of Egypt leads the goal-scoring charts with six goals.
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Salah started strong with a four-goal performance in Egypt’s 6-0 win over Djibouti in Cairo.
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He also scored in away matches against Guinea-Bissau and Ethiopia.
Prolific Amoura
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Mohamed Amoura, a Wolfsburg striker, netted a hat-trick in Algeria’s 5-1 win over Mozambique on matchday six.
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He shares second place with five others, each having scored five goals.
Shocks Galore
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Group C has been full of surprises, including:
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Lesotho earned a draw in Nigeria.
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Rwanda beat South Africa after adapting better to a rain-soaked pitch.
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Benin came from behind to defeat Nigeria.
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On matchday six, Zimbabwe secured a 1-1 draw in Nigeria, with Tawanda Chirewa scoring in added time.
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Popular Scorelines
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1-0 was the most common scoreline, with 33 matches ending with a single goal difference.
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The second most frequent results were 2-1 and 2-0, each occurring 21 times.
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Other notable scorelines included 19 1-1 draws and 15 0-0 stalemates.
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There were a few one-sided results: three 5-0s, two 6-0s, and two 5-1s.
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The most dominant result was Ivory Coast’s 9-0 win over Seychelles.
Successful Seeds
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The top seeds (Egypt, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia) have all justified their positions by leading their respective groups with four matchdays remaining.
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Cameroon and Senegal sit second in their groups, one point behind.
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Mali and Nigeria, two other top seeds, are fourth in their groups, six points behind the leaders (Ghana and South Africa).
Perfect Morocco
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Morocco remains the only team with a perfect record in the qualifiers, with five wins in as many matches.
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Victories included:
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2-0 over Tanzania (twice),
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2-1 against Zambia,
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6-0 over Congo Brazzaville,
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2-1 against Niger.
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Morocco’s perfect record was aided by hosting away fixtures against Congo and Niger, as Congo ceded home advantage, and Niger does not have a FIFA-approved stadium.
This snapshot captures the most significant highlights and surprising results after matchday six of the African qualifiers.
