2026 World Cup (Q): the winners and losers of the March international break

Ahead of the decisive September break, Sport News Africa picks out its winners and losers from matchdays 5 and 6 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, with Algeria putting on a show and Guinea unrecognisable.

The Winners

Among the winners, Ghana are right up there. The Black Stars won both their games this month, the first against Chad (5-0) and the second against Madagascar (3-0), to move 3 points clear (15) of the Comoros (12) at the top of Group I. After the disappointment of missing out on the 2025 AFCON, Otto Addo's side look determined to follow it up with another World Cup finals appearance. Algeria also impressed during this first international break of the year. After a deserved 3-1 win over Botswana on matchday 5, the Fennecs thrashed Mozambique (5-1) on Tuesday night, leaving them 3 points behind in Group G. With 15 points, they are not far from qualification.

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Elsewhere, South Africa enjoyed the best March of the qualifying campaign, taking maximum points in Group C with two wins against Lesotho and Benin, each by 2-0. Bafana Bafana are now alone at the top of the group with 13 points, 5 more than second-placed Rwanda. In Group B, DR Congo also took advantage of the draw between Senegal and Sudan to go top, thanks to wins over South Sudan (1-0) and Mauritania (2-0). The Leopards lead with 13 points, but are under pressure from Senegal and Sudan, who have 12 points each.

Also among the winners are Gabon, who keep marching towards a first World Cup finals qualification. The Panthers, led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored twice against Kenya (2-1), and Denis Bouanga, who also netted a brace against Seychelles (3-0), also made it a perfect month and are putting pressure on the Elephants, who lead Group I with 16 points. Gabon are just one point behind in second. Although Faé's men also won both their games and remain unbeaten in these qualifiers, they were far from flamboyant.

In Group D, Cape Verde took advantage of Libya's and Cameroon's inconsistency to go top of the table. The Blue Sharks, who beat Mauritius (1-0) and then Angola (2-1), lead the group with 13 points, one more than Cameroon. Morocco, Burkina Faso and Tunisia can be added to this list, having also taken maximum points this month.

The Losers

It is hard not to start this section with Guinea, who picked up just one point from a possible 6. The Syli Nationale were held to a goalless draw (0-0) by Somalia in their first game, before losing (1-0) to Uganda. Senegal and Cameroon also join the list of losers. Before bouncing back against Togo (2-0) and Libya (3-1) respectively, both sides had to settle for draws, against Sudan (0-0) for the Lions and against Eswatini (0-0) for the Indomitable Lions.

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Nigeria, for their part, did quite the opposite. The Super Eagles began the Eric Chelle era with a 2-0 win in Kigali against Rwanda, before conceding a frustrating home draw against Zimbabwe (1-1), which pushes them further away from qualification. Mali are in a similar situation, with their dream of a first World Cup slipping away bit by bit. After a fine 3-0 victory over the Comoros on matchday 5, the Eagles could do no better than a draw (0-0) against Central African Republic and have thus jeopardised their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Benin, who also made a good start over the first four matchdays, disappointed this month with an unexpected draw (2-2) against Zimbabwe and a defeat (0-2) to South Africa in Abidjan. Their western neighbours Togo are still waiting for their first win in these qualifiers. The Sparrowhawks disappointed again with a home draw (2-2) against Mauritania and a defeat in Dakar to Senegal (2-0). The chances of seeing Togo at the 2026 World Cup, 20 years after their first and only appearance, are fading.