Matchday 6 of the FIFA World Cup African qualifiers delivered pivotal results across the continent, with Algeria, Ghana, Morocco and Egypt consolidating their leads, while Group C and Group B saw late twists that could define qualification hopes.
South Africa took command in Group C, DR Congo leapfrogged rivals in Group B, and Ghana pulled clear in Group I with another dominant win.
There was also heartbreak for Nigeria and Tunisia left it late once again.
Here is the complete breakdown by group:
Group A: Egypt edge tight encounter as Ethiopia hit six
Results:
- Egypt 1-0 Sierra Leone
- Burkina Faso 2-1 Guinea-Bissau
- Ethiopia 6-1 Djibouti
Zizo's 45th-minute strike helped Egypt maintain top spot with a narrow win over Sierra Leone in Cairo. Burkina Faso kept up the chase with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Guinea-Bissau, while Ethiopia produced a shock performance of the round with a 6-1 demolition of Djibouti.
Standings:
- Egypt - 16 pts
- Burkina Faso - 11 pts
- Sierra Leone - 8 pts
- Ethiopia - 6 pts
- Guinea-Bissau - 6 pts
- Djibouti - 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Egypt vs Ethiopia
- Guinea-Bissau vs Sierra Leone
- Djibouti vs Burkina Faso
Group B: DR Congo go top, Senegal and Sudan tied
Results:
- DR Congo 2-0 Mauritania
- Senegal 2-0 Togo
- Sudan 1-1 South Sudan
DR Congo returned to the summit with a composed 2-0 win over Mauritania. Senegal matched them on points after seeing off Togo, while Sudan's draw with South Sudan dropped them into third place.
Standings:
- DR Congo - 13 pts
- Senegal - 12 pts
- Sudan - 12 pts
- Togo - 3 pts
- South Sudan - 3 pts
- Mauritania - 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Senegal vs Sudan
- South Sudan vs DR Congo
- Somalia vs Guinea
Group C: South Africa step ahead as Nigeria slip again
Results:
- Benin 0-2 South Africa
- Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe
- Rwanda 1-1 Lesotho
Bafana Bafana strengthened their grip on Group C with a composed 2-0 away win in Benin. Nigeria's hopes were dented by a late equaliser from Zimbabwe, while Rwanda and Lesotho cancelled each other out.
Standings:
- South Africa - 13 pts
- Rwanda - 8 pts
- Benin - 8 pts
- Nigeria - 7 pts
- Lesotho - 6 pts
- Zimbabwe - 4 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Benin vs Zimbabwe
- Lesotho vs South Africa
- Malawi vs Nigeria
Group D: Cape Verde edge Angola as Cameroon stay close
Results:
- Cape Verde 2-1 Angola
- Cameroon 3-1 Libya
- Mauritius 3-3 Eswatini
Cape Verde snatched a crucial win over Angola, while Cameroon thrashed Libya to stay a point off the top. Mauritius and Eswatini served up a six-goal thriller but shared the spoils.
Standings:
- Cape Verde - 13 pts
- Cameroon - 12 pts
- Libya - 8 pts
- Angola - 7 pts
- Mauritius - 5 pts
- Eswatini - 2 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Angola vs Libya
- Cameroon vs Eswatini
- Mauritius vs Cape Verde
Group E: Morocco flawless, Atlas Lions pull clear
Results:
- Morocco 2-0 Tanzania
Morocco kept their perfect record intact with a 2-0 win over Tanzania to make it five wins from five and stay top of Group E.
Standings:
- Morocco - 15 pts (5 games)
- Niger - 6 pts (4 games)
- Tanzania - 6 pts (5 games)
- Zambia - 3 pts (4 games)
- Congo - 0 pts (3 games)
- Eritrea - 0 pts (0 games)
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Morocco vs Niger
Group F: Cote d'Ivoire reclaim top, Burundi explode
Results:
- Cote d'Ivoire 1-0 Gambia
- Burundi 5-0 Seychelles
- Kenya 1-2 Gabon
Gabon stayed hot on the heels of Cote d'Ivoire after an impressive 2-1 win over Kenya. Burundi produced a five-star show against Seychelles to rise to third.
Standings:
- Cote d'Ivoire - 16 pts
- Gabon - 15 pts
- Burundi - 10 pts
- Kenya - 6 pts
- Gambia - 4 pts
- Seychelles - 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Cote d'Ivoire vs Burundi
- Kenya vs Gambia
- Seychelles vs Gabon
Group G: Amoura hat-trick lifts Algeria, Uganda bounce back
Results:
- Algeria 5-1 Mozambique
- Uganda 1-0 Guinea
- Botswana 2-0 Somalia
Algeria produced a commanding performance to dispatch Mozambique with Amoura netting a hat-trick. Uganda edged Guinea while Botswana swept Somalia aside.
Standings:
- Algeria - 15 pts
- Mozambique - 12 pts
- Botswana - 9 pts
- Uganda - 9 pts
- Guinea - 7 pts
- Somalia - 1 pt
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Algeria vs Botswana
- Uganda vs Mozambique
- Somalia vs Guinea
Group H: Tunisia leave it late, Namibia stall
Results:
- Tunisia 2-0 Malawi
- Namibia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
- Liberia 2-1 Sao Tome and Principe
Late goals from Jaziri and Achouri earned Tunisia a win over Malawi. Namibia were held by Equatorial Guinea while Liberia edged Sao Tome.
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Standings:
- Tunisia - 16 pts
- Namibia - 12 pts
- Liberia - 10 pts
- Equatorial Guinea - 7 pts
- Malawi - 6 pts
- Sao Tome and Principe - 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Tunisia vs Liberia
- Namibia vs Malawi
- Sao Tome and Principe vs Equatorial Guinea
Group I: Ghana dominate, Madagascar make gains
Results:
- Ghana 3-0 Madagascar
- Mali 0-0 Central Africa Republic
- Comoros 1-1 Chad
Ghana pulled away at the top with a commanding 3-0 win over Madagascar. Mali were held by CAR while Comoros dropped points against winless Chad.
Standings:
- Ghana - 15 pts
- Comoros - 12 pts
- Madagascar - 10 pts
- Mali - 9 pts
- Central Africa - 5 pts
- Chad - 0 pts
Next Fixtures (Matchday 7):
- Chad vs Ghana
- Madagascar vs Central Africa Republic
- Mali vs Comoros
Top Scorers (after Matchday 6)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt) - 6 goals
- Jordan Ayew (Ghana) - 5 goals
- Mohamed Amoura (Algeria) - 5 goals
- Lassina Traoré (Burkina Faso) - 5 goals
- Trezeguet (Egypt) - 5 goals
- Denis Bouanga (Gabon) - 5 goals
- Kamory Doumbia (Mali) - 5 goals
