The North African side clinched qualification with a commanding 3-0 away win over Somalia in the penultimate match of Group G in the African qualifiers. Mohamed Amoura struck twice, while captain Riyad Mahrez added another to seal the result.
With 22 points, four ahead of Uganda and one match remaining, coach Vladimir Petkovic’s team ensured their fifth World Cup appearance after previous participations in 1982, 1986, 2010, and 2014.
Algeria joins Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt as the four African nations confirmed so far for the 2026 finals. The continent will award five additional direct slots, while four more teams will advance to the second round for intercontinental play-off contention.
So far, 20 nations have qualified for the 2026 World Cup: the three co-hosts, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, along with Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan (Asia); Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia (South America); New Zealand (Oceania); and Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria (Africa).
Europe’s goal fest in qualifiers
Across Europe, the latest round of World Cup qualifiers saw an outpouring of goals on October 10.
Austria produced the night’s biggest statement with a 10-0 demolition of San Marino at the Ernst Happel Stadion. Marko Arnautović scored four times, while Stefan Posch netted twice. Romano Schmid, Michael Gregoritsch, Konrad Laimer, and Nikolaus Wurmbrand completed the scoring.
The result put Austria top of Group H with 15 points from five matches, maintaining a two-point lead over Bosnia & Herzegovina, who drew 2-2 with Cyprus earlier.
In Group D, the Netherlands beat Malta 4-0, powered by Cody Gakpo’s brace and goals from Tijani Reijnders and Memphis Depay. The win lifted the Dutch to 13 points, three ahead of Poland and Finland.
Denmark also impressed, thrashing Belarus 6-0 away from home. Rasmus Højlund bagged a double, with Victor Froholdt, Patrick Dorgu, and Anders Dreyer adding to the tally.
Elsewhere, Scotland overcame Greece 3-1 thanks to goals from Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, and Lyndon Dykes. Both Denmark and Scotland now share seven points, with Denmark leading Group C on goal difference.
In one of the round’s biggest surprises, the Faroe Islands stunned Montenegro 4-0 in Group L, a rare triumph for the 136th-ranked team, whose mostly semi-professional players balance football with full-time jobs.
The Faroe Islands now have nine points, four behind Croatia and the Czech Republic, whom they will face in their final two matches.
(Source: Vietnam+)
