Rwanda and Cape Verde took major strides towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with crucial wins on Matchday 4 of the African qualifiers on Tuesday evening.
In Group C, Rwanda edged past Lesotho 1-0 in Durban thanks to Jojea Kwizera’s 45th minute strike.
The victory sees them go top on seven points, level with South Africa who defeated Zimbabwe 3-1 in Bloemfontein.
Iqraam Rayners gave South Africa an early lead only for Tawanda Chirewa to equalize shortly after.
But second half goals from Thapelo Morena sealed all three points for the hosts, leaving Zimbabwe bottom with just two points.
In Group D, Cape Verde jumped into a share of the lead on seven points along with Libya and Cameroon after beating Libya 1-0 at home. Diney Borges scored the vital winner for the islanders in the 10th minute.
The surprise result of the day came in Group E as Tanzania pulled off a 1-0 away victory over Zambia in Ndola.
Waziri Junior’s 5th minute strike proved the difference as Tanzania moved level on six points with group leaders Morocco.
The hosts tried valiantly to find an equalizer but were denied by stout Tanzanian defending.
In Group I, Comoros took control with a 2-0 win over Chad in Oujda, Morocco. Myziane Maolida opened the scoring on 59 minutes before El Fardou Ben Nabouhane sealed the points late on.
The victory sees the island nation go top on nine points, level with Ghana but ahead on goal difference. Chad are yet to get off the mark.
With four matchdays played, the picture is becoming clearer in the African qualifying campaign.
Rwanda and Cape Verde have put themselves in prime position to claim two of the nine automatic spots allocated to African nations at the 2026 World Cup.
But the race is still wide open with plenty of twists and turns surely to come before the successful teams book their tickets to the tournament in North America.