Mohamed Salah can help Egypt secure a place at the 2026 World Cup finals when the Pharaohs face Burkina Faso on Tuesday.
Salah will lead the charge in what is a top-of-the-table African zone Group A qualifier which, if they win, will guarantee that Egypt will finish first with two matches to spare and clinch a spot at next year's finals.
The Liverpool star scored a penalty when Egypt defeated Ethiopia 2-0 in Cairo on Friday with Manchester City attacker Omar Marmoush also firing home from the spot to maintain their five-point lead in the standings.
Salah's latest strike meant he equalled the record for all-time top African scorer in World Cup qualifiers, leaving him tied with Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Islam Slimani (Algeria), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), and Moumouni Dagano (Burkina Faso) on 18 goals.
The Pharaohs have now netted 16 times in seven games, with Salah (seven) and Trezeguet (five) accounting for 12 with only Gabon's Denis Bouang (eight) having scored more in the African qualifiers.
Burkina Faso go into the game on the back of a 6-0 demolition of bottom side Djibouti which included a double from Dango Ouattara, who joined Premier League side Brentford in a £42.5 million club-record move from Bournemouth this summer.
Ouattara scored and missed a penalty during the comprehensive win against 10-man Djibouti in Bissau.
Unlike Burkino Faso's previous qualifiers, which were held in Morocco and Mali, Tuesday's game is taking place at the renovated 4 August Stadium in Ouagadougou – site of Egypt’s 1998 Africa Cup of Nations final win over South Africa.
When the two teams clashed in Cairo last year, Egypt came out on top 2-1 with Trezeguet's early brace sealing three points and their coach Hossam Hassan is prepared for another tough battle.
“The match against Burkina Faso will be tough – there are no weak opponents in African football. The hardest part is yet to come,” Hassan said.
“We are ready, even though the venue change was unexpected. They played all their earlier qualifiers in Morocco, but now they’ve insisted on hosting this one at home.”
Egypt are looking to secure a World Cup berth for only the third time in their history following appearances at the 1934, 1990, and 2018 finals.
That last tournament saw them finish bottom of Group A after losing all of their games against Uruguay (1-0), host nation Russia (3-1) and Saudi Arabia (2-1) – with Salah scoring both of Egypt's goals but suffering with injury throughout.
“We’ve only made it to the World Cup three times. That’s not enough for a country like Egypt. We want to make it again,” Hassan added.
Another European-based African football icon has already sealed his spot at the finals being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi continued his unforgettable 2025 by helping Morocco become the first African nation to qualify for the finals.
Hakimi was in the starting XI as the Atlas Lions battered 10-man Niger 5-0 thanks to two goals from Ismael Saibari and one each from Ayoub El Kaabi, Hamza Igamane and Azzedine Ounahi in Rabat on Saturday.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui hailed the performance of Hakimi – who won the Uefa Champions League with PSG in June after they destroyed Inter Milan 5-0 – after the match.
“I hope Hakimi wins the Ballon d’Or. We all dream of a Moroccan winning it,” Regragui said. “He played today while injured, he always gives so much … If anyone deserves it, it’s him.”
Morocco have won all six of their Group E games and are the only side across the nine African qualifying groups with a 100 per cent record.
“Six matches, six wins – even against teams that play with 10 men behind – it’s the start of the season for the players,” added Regragui, whose team are away to Zambia on Tuesday.
“It's historic. We keep building on this dynamic. At the end, the most important thing is qualification. The bar is high. Now, the expectation is to win every game, and fans are right to demand this.”
At the last World Cup in Qatar, Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, where they lost 2-0 to France.
