Mohamed Amoura scored twice as Algeria defeated Somalia 3-0 on Thursday, securing their place as the fourth African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, joining Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt.
The match started brightly for Algeria, with Amoura volleying in a cross from Riyad Mahrez in just the sixth minute. Midway through the first half, Mahrez himself found the back of the net after capitalizing on a loose ball. In the 57th minute, Mahrez turned provider once again, assisting Amoura’s second goal of the night to make it 3-0. Confident that qualification was sealed, coach Vladimir Petkovic took both scorers off soon after.
The result wasn’t much of a surprise — Algeria, ranked far higher than Somalia, dominated easily in the western port city of Oran. They now sit top of Group G with 22 points, four ahead of second-placed Uganda, with Mozambique, Guinea, Botswana, and Somalia trailing behind.
Before the match, much of the attention was on Luca Zidane, son of French football legend Zinedine Zidane, who recently switched allegiance from France to Algeria. The Granada goalkeeper, who represented France at youth levels, qualified to play for Algeria through his grandparents. He was on the bench as Mouloudia Alger’s Alexis Guendouz started in goal.
Algeria will now make their fifth World Cup appearance in 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Their best performance remains the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they reached the Round of 16 before being knocked out 2–1 by eventual champions Germany.
In another match, Kenya beat Burundi 1–0 in a heated East African derby in Bujumbura. The game turned dramatic just six minutes in when Burundi’s Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana was shown a straight red card for fouling Kenya’s goalkeeper, Brian Okoth, who had to be substituted due to injury.
Despite playing with an extra man, Kenya struggled to create chances until stoppage time in the first half, when Burundi’s goalkeeper Jonathan Nahimana made an impressive save. The breakthrough finally came in the 73rd minute when Ryan Ogam scored the decisive goal to give Kenya all three points.
The win lifts Kenya to third in their group, eight points behind leaders Ivory Coast, who are battling closely with Gabon in Group F. Ivory Coast could seal their fourth World Cup appearance if they beat Seychelles and Gabon lose to Gambia on Friday.
Elsewhere, Friday’s fixtures include nine qualifiers, with Group C shaping up as one of the tightest — Benin, South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Lesotho all still have a shot at topping the group.
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