Gabon and Cameroon have been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
In the African qualifiers, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Tunisia secured their places in the World Cup by finishing first in their respective groups.
The four best second-placed teams — Gabon, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon — were given a second chance to qualify.
Following today’s matches, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo advanced to the next round.
In the day’s first match, Nigeria and Gabon created several chances but failed to score for much of the game. The deadlock was finally broken in the 78th minute when Akor Adams scored for Nigeria. However, with just minutes left in regular time, Mario Lemina equalized for Gabon, sending the match into extra time.
During extra time, Chidera Ejuke restored Nigeria’s lead before Victor Osimhen stepped up and sealed the victory with two more goals. The match ended 4-1 after extra time.
In the other match, Cameroon faced the Democratic Republic of Congo. A late goal from Chancel Mbemba in the 90+1st minute secured a 1-0 win for DR Congo, sending them through to the next round.
Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo will now face each other to determine who will become Africa’s 10th representative at the World Cup.