four North African teams on the threshold of the World Cup in Qatar

Will North Africa represent the vast majority of African countries present at the 2022 FIFA World Cup? Algeria and Tunisia are off to a good start, while Egypt and Morocco must confirm, Tuesday, March 29, during the return play-offs of the 2022 World Cup.

The remake of the last final of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), Senegal-Egypt, remains the most enticing poster. Defeated by the Lions of Teranga in Yaoundé, the Pharaohs have a slight advantage (1-0) thanks to a strike from Mohamed Salah which provoked the goal against his camp by Saliou Ciss. Having had several chances in the first leg, the African champions, led by Sadio Mané, intend to overthrow the Egyptians in their new stadium in Diamniadio, a new town 30 km from Dakar, to play their third World Cup after 2002 and 2018.

Algeria is in an even more favorable tie. Eager to erase the affront of the elimination of the CAN in the first round in January, the team of Djamel Belmadi hopes to confirm its exploit of going to Cameroon (1-0) to find the World Cup, after that in Brazil in 2014. In a packed Blida stadium, the Fennecs must beware of the pride of the Indomitable Lions, who aim to keep the participation record of an African country with an eighth World Cup.

Tunisia is also on the right track for Qatar after its victory in Mali (1-0), a country which still hopes to play its first World Cup. The Tunisians had taken advantage of the nightmare of Moussa Sissako, author of a terrible goal against his camp and excluded four minutes later. North Africa could also count on the presence of Morocco at the World Cup if the Atlas Lions manage to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after the promising draw obtained outside (1-1).

Finally, everything remains to be done in the duel between English-speaking giants of African football, Ghana and Nigeria, who did not know how to decide in the first leg (0-0) in Kumasi. The Nigerian Super Eagles are aiming for a seventh World Cup appearance.