Ivory Coast

Nigeria defeated Lesotho 2-1 in Group C, as Benin beat Rwanda, and Zimbabwe held South Africa to a 0-0 draw.

While some African nations have taken major steps towards next year's tournament, some of the would-be heavyweights must now start facing up to the prospect of watching 2026's football jamboree from the outside.

Here are the big talking points following gameweek seven of Africa's World Cup qualifying campaign... and a look ahead to the major storylines to follow as competition resumes across the continent this week.

Africa's national sides are in action all around the globe during the final international break of the season.

Captain Mohamed Salah scored for Egypt as they eased to a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Friday, but 2022 semi-finalists Morocco needed a late winner from Bilal El Khannouss to defeat unfancied Niger.

Who will win the 2026 World Cup? A team stacked with talent, surely. We've devised a way to rank countries by the talent in their squads.

The first international break of 2025 sees a resumption of Africa's FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed star forward Amad Diallo is likely to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a ligament injury in training.

Recap the draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Ivory Coast will begin the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations title against Mozambique, while hosts and World Cup semifinalists Morocco open the 2025 tournament against the Comoros Islands in Rabat on Dec. 21.