Kudus Stars, Ghana Books Spot at 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Comoros.
Ghana became the fifth African nation to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.
The 2010 quarterfinalists join Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia at next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Needing just a draw against Comoros to confirm qualification, Ghana secured its place in style with a 1–0 victory at Accra Sports Stadium. In the end, the win wasn’t even necessary, as second-placed Madagascar suffered a 4–1 defeat to Mali.
Tottenham forward Mohammed Kudus scored the decisive goal in the 47th minute, ensuring the Black Stars’ back-to-back World Cup appearance.
Madagascar finished second in Group I, but its loss hurt its hopes of being among the four best runners-up that will compete in the playoff round.
Under the new format, the nine group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, while the four best runners-up enter a mini playoff tournament in November — featuring two semifinals and a final. The winner of that playoff advances to FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs against teams from Asia, CONCACAF, South America, and Oceania.
Elsewhere, Burkina Faso ended its campaign with a 3–1 win over Ethiopia, thanks to a second-half hat trick from substitute Pierre Landry Kabore. Group leader Egypt, already qualified, earned another victory by defeating Guinea-Bissau 1–0.
In Group E, Niger edged Zambia 1–0 to finish second.
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