Cape Verde Close to Historic First World Cup Berth After Win Over Mauritius [Full Results]

Cape Verde took a major step toward qualifying for their first-ever FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Mauritius on Thursday in Saint-Pierre.

Portugal-based forward Jovane Cabral opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, before UAE-based Diney Borges sealed the win in the 71st minute.

The result moved the Blue Sharks to 16 points in Group D, one point ahead of Cameroon, Africa’s record World Cup participants with eight appearances.

In Yaoundé, Cameroon defeated Eswatini 3-0, with Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo providing two assists. Gift Gamedze’s own goal after six minutes was followed by strikes from Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Arthur Avom within three minutes of each other.

Cape Verde will host Cameroon in Praia on Tuesday in a decisive clash. A win would put the island nation within touching distance of automatic qualification, needing just three more points from their final two games in October against Libya and Eswatini.

The team, coached since 2020 by local tactician Bubista (Pedro Leitao Brito), reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations last year and are now chasing an even bigger milestone.

Elsewhere, Libya climbed to third place in Group D with a surprise 1-0 win away to Angola, courtesy of Ezoo el Mariamy’s 48th-minute goal.

Group I drama – Chad frustrates Ghana
In N’Djamena, Chad ended a six-game losing streak by holding Ghana to a 1-1 draw. Jordan Ayew converted a Mohammed Kudus cross in the 17th minute, but Celestin Ecua’s late solo effort in the 89th minute salvaged a point for the hosts.

It marked a positive debut for Chad’s new coach, Swiss tactician Raoul Savoy. Ghana, four-time World Cup qualifiers, remain top of Group I on 16 points, three ahead of Madagascar, who defeated the Central African Republic 2-0 in Casablanca.

Other key results:

• Group H (Oujda): Equatorial Guinea came from two goals down at half-time to edge Sao Tome e Principe 3-2, with Jose Nabil scoring the 70th-minute winner.
• Group H (Rades): Tunisia outclassed Liberia 3-0.
• Group G (Tizi Ouzou): Algeria beat Botswana 3-1, with Baghdad Bounedjah scoring twice.
• Group I (Berkane): Mali secured a 3-0 victory over Comoros.

Sao Tome, Madagascar, and Mali all played home matches at neutral venues due to lack of FIFA-approved stadiums.

Morocco, who shocked the world by reaching the 2022 semi-finals, could become the first African side to secure qualification on Friday if they beat Niger in Rabat and Tanzania fail to defeat Congo in Brazzaville.

Nine group winners will book automatic tickets to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, while the best four runners-up will advance to a playoff route for additional slots.