Egypt Gears Up for World Cup 2026 Qualification: Match Schedule and Broadcast Details

Egypt and Algeria are on the verge of securing their spots in the 2026 World Cup, needing just wins against Djibouti and Somalia respectively in today's penultimate round of African qualifiers. Both teams would join Morocco and Tunisia, who have already booked their places in the tournament that will be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The African qualifying format sends the nine group winners directly to the World Cup, while the four best runners-up get a second chance through playoffs. With seven direct spots still up for grabs before the final two rounds in October, several heavyweight nations are fighting to avoid the uncertainty of playoff qualification.

Egypt looks particularly well-positioned for their fourth World Cup appearance after previous tournaments in 1934, 1990, and 2018. The Pharaohs sit at the top of Group 1 with 20 points, holding a comfortable five-point lead over Burkina Faso. Their opponents Djibouti languish at the bottom with just one point from eight matches.

The match will be played in Casablanca, Morocco, as Djibouti uses the Moroccan city as their home venue. Egypt will be without several key players, most notably Manchester City winger Omar Marmoush, but coach Hossam Hassan still has plenty of talent at his disposal.

All eyes will be on Mohamed Salah, who's looking to bounce back from a disappointing start to the season with Liverpool. The Egyptian captain has managed just three goals in nine appearances across all competitions this season - a stark contrast to his 29 goals in 38 Premier League matches last season when he won the Golden Boot and helped Liverpool claim their 20th league title.

Salah has fond memories of facing Djibouti, having scored a hat-trick plus one more in their 6-0 victory during the opening round of qualifiers in Cairo two years ago. A similar performance today would virtually guarantee Egypt's return to the World Cup stage.

For investors and betting markets, Egypt's qualification appears almost certain given their substantial points cushion and the quality gap between the teams. The real drama in African qualifying lies elsewhere, with powerhouses like Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Ghana needing wins combined with favorable results from other matches to secure their spots.

The final qualifying rounds scheduled for October 8-14 will determine which African nations complete the continent's World Cup delegation, but Egypt looks set to be celebrating their qualification well before then.