The nine group winners will qualify automatically for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The four best runners-up will then compete for one place at the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
After a dramatic round in CAF qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, South Africa extended their lead at the top of Group C with victory over Benin after match day 6, while Group D pace-setters Cape Verde recorded another impressive win against Angola.
Cameroon are hot on their heels after seeing off Libya, while Nigeria suffered a bitter blow in conceding a last-gasp equaliser to Zimbabwe.
South Sudan struck an incredible 98th-minute leveller against neighbours Sudan, and Egypt are sitting pretty at the Group A summit after beating Sierra Leone.
Algeria flexed their scoring muscles in a top-of-the-table tussle with Mozambique, while Comoros, Congo DR, Morocco and Senegal boosted their hopes with clean-sheet victories.
The nine group winners will qualify automatically for the FIFA World Cup 26. The four best runners-up will then compete for one place at the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
Here is the complete breakdown by group:
Group A - Egypt stay top as Ethiopia hit Djibouti for six
Results:
Egypt 1-0 Sierra Leone
Burkina Faso 2-1 Guinea-Bissau
Ethiopia 6-1 Djibouti
Egypt kept their unbeaten record intact with a narrow 1-0 victory over Sierra Leone, thanks to a first-half strike from Zizo.
Burkina Faso remained in contention with a tight win over Guinea-Bissau, but the performance of the round came from Ethiopia, who mauled Djibouti with an emphatic 6-1 victory.
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 strengthen hold, Nigeria stumble again
Results:
Benin 0-2 South Africa
Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe
Rwanda 1-1 Lesotho
South Africa firmly took control of Group C with a confident 2-0 victory over Benin, extending their lead at the top.
Nigeria, however, suffered another blow, as Zimbabwe struck a stoppage-time equaliser to deny them much-needed points. Rwanda and Lesotho played out a 1-1 stalemate, keeping the middle of the table tightly contested, and cancelling 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
Lesotho 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 fires Algeria to top, 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
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Late goals from Jaziri and Achouri earned Tunisia a win over Malawi. Namibia were held by Equatorial Guinea while Liberia edged Sao Tome.
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
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
