Overview

• Algeria clinched Group G with a 3-0 win over Somalia, as Riyad Mahrez scored and assisted twice for Mohamed Amoura to seal a fifth finals appearance.
• Egypt secured Group A the previous day with a 3-0 victory over Djibouti, highlighted by a Mohamed Salah brace and an Ibrahim Adel goal.
• The quartet of early African qualifiers is a North African sweep, with Morocco and Tunisia having booked places earlier in this window.
• Cape Verde lead Group D by two points and will qualify with a home win over Eswatini, while Cameroon must beat Angola and rely on a slip to avoid the playoff route.
• Ghana routed Central African Republic 5-0 and need one point in their finale against Comoros to confirm qualification, as remaining groups set up the November runners-up playoff and a March intercontinental pathway.