World Cup qualifying for the African region is back! In our preview of the upcoming March fixtures, we take a look at Group A where Egypt currently have a strong hold. However, the Pharaohs still have work to do to clinch qualification and there is still plenty to play for with a group of nations below Egypt fighting to announce themselves as challengers.
Group A Table (4 matches played)
Points | |
Egypt | 10 |
Guinea-Bissau | 6 |
Burkina Faso | 5 |
Sierra Leone | 5 |
Ethiopia | 3 |
Djibouti | 1 |
Fixtures
March 20- Sierra Leone vs Guinea-Bissau (Monrovia, Liberia)
March 21- Burkina Faso vs Djibouti (El Jadida, Morocco)
March 21- Ethiopia vs Egypt (Casablanca, Morocco)
March 24- Guinea-Bissau vs Burkina Faso (in Bissau)
March 24- Ethiopia vs Djibouti (El Jadida, Morocco)
March 25- Egypt vs Sierra Leone (Cairo, Egypt)
Evaluation
Group A has been dominated by Egypt who are a class above the rest of the competition. It appears that the battle will be for second place where Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone all have a decent chance of competing for one of the top four runner-up positions to qualify for the African playoff.
The important matches to watch in March involve Guinea-Bissau who will face a serious challenge to maintain their position in second place. Sierra Leone must win against the Djurtus on March 20 in their adopted home of Liberia.
Then the Lusophone nation will be required to defend their home turf against the favorites to capture second place, Burkina Faso. The Stallions are now healthy with attackers Dango Ouattara and Bertrand Traoré now available at the same time while striker Mohamed Konaté now has competition with Lassina Traoré now healthy. Central midfielder Mohamed Zougrana also may become a crucial addition after deciding to represent Burkina Faso.
Key Players in March
Mohamed Salah- Egypt (Club: Liverpool FC)
Egypt did not need Salah for their final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches at the end of 2024, allowing their superstar to stay with Liverpool and rest as their place in Morocco was secured. But now with Omar Marmoush, Mostafa Mohamed and Trezeguet all joining Salah on the roster for March, coach Hossam Hassan can now find out more about how all these pieces work together.
Salah has been sensational for Liverpool this season and is probably the most valuable player in European club football this season regardless of what Jamie Carragher says. Now Egyptian supporters can enjoy the sight of their icon as he attempts to help the Pharaohs increase distance between themselves and the rest of Group A.
Bertrand Traoré- Burkina Faso (Club: Ajax Amsterdam)
There is no doubt who the leader is in the Burkinabé camp and that is Traoré, who is approaching a century of appearances for the Stallions. After battling injuries that negatively impacted his availability and performances for his country, the Ajax playmaker is in good health just in time.
Burkina Faso will have their eyes on the second match in Bissau against Guinea-Bissau and Traoré will need to perform at his best to achieve the target of victory away from home. The Stallions are favorites to claim second place in the group but there remains a lot of work to be done and coach Brama Traoré needs to rebuild the chemistry quickly for success in March.
Beto- Guinea-Bissau (Club: Everton)
The Lisbon native quickly became a key player for the Djurtus after electing to represent Guinea-Bissau and now he is in excellent form for Premier League club Everton. With Ligue 1 forward Mama Baldé unavailable in March due to injury, it is time for Beto to translate his club form to the national team now that he has had a few games under his belt in African national team football.
If Guinea-Bissau want to make a serious push to qualify for their first ever appearance at the World Cup, the battering ram of a striker will need to produce goals for a nation who struggled in the attack in their failed 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying attempt.
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