Morocco became the first African country to book a place at next year’s World Cup finals on Friday with a 5-0 victory at home to Niger ensuring they top their group.
Morocco won a sixth successive game in the qualifiers with two goals from Ismael Saibari and one each from Ayoub El Kaabi, Hamza Igamane and Azzedine Ounahi in Rabat.
Tanzania were the sole side still with a chance of catching them in Group E but their 1-1 draw earlier on Friday against Congo in Brazzaville saw them move onto 10 points from six games, while Morocco have 18 points.
The Moroccans were the first African country to reach a World Cup semi-final in Qatar in 2022 and have remained the top-ranked African side since.
On a busy night of 14 qualifiers around the continent, Egypt kept up their stranglehold on Group A with a 2-0 home win over Ethiopia in Cairo. Mohamed Salah converted a penalty for his seventh goal of the preliminaries and Omar Marmoush then took another spot kick for his first of the campaign.
With three games left, Egypt are five points clear of Burkina Faso, who beat bottom-placed Djibouti 6-0 with a double each from Dango Ouattara and defender Edmond Tapsoba.
African champions Ivory Coast went back top of Group F, one point ahead of Gabon who they next play away on Tuesday, when they beat Burundi 1-0 in Abidjan.
A single point also separates leaders Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal in Group B with a crunch clash between the two next up in Kinshasa on Tuesday.
Cedric Bakambu scored twice and Yoane Wissa added one as the Congolese won 4-1 in South Sudan while Senegal were 2-0 home victors over Sudan with captain Kalidou Koulibaly scoring the first and Pape Matar Sarr adding the second.
South Africa remain five points clear of second-placed Benin in Group C as both proved victorious on Friday.
Burnley striker Lyle Foster was among the scorers as South Africa eased past Lesotho 3-0 while Steve Mounie scored the only goal as Benin edged Zimbabwe.
Nigeria, who have struggled through the campaign, still have hopes of topping the group but must win at home on Saturday when they host Rwanda and then again in South Africa on Tuesday.
In Group G, Algeria’s qualification chances were dramatically enhanced as second-placed Mozambique lost 4-0 in Uganda while Namibia’s defeat by Malawi in Group H means Tunisia will qualify if they beat Equatorial Guinea away on Monday.
The winners of the nine qualifying groups automatically head to the World Cup in North America with the four best runners-up advancing to a playoff in November, with the potential of a further place at the finals.
