six “finals” for the dams to follow in the Africa Zone

Senegal, Morocco, Mali and Egypt… Before the start of the 6th and final day of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers on Sunday, only 4 out of 10 qualified for the play-offs are known in the Africa Zone. And the 6 remaining places will all be played out, or almost, in the “finals” between the teams neck and neck.

– DR Congo – Benin, in Kinshasa (group J) – Sunday

Returning from afar, the DRC has won the right to play its destiny at home but behind closed doors against Beninese that it had briefly thought to surprise on the go before being equalized (1-1). A draw is enough for the Squirrels, while Hector Cuper’s men will have to win.

Classification : Benin 10 points, DRC 8 pts, Tanzania 7 pts, Madagascar 3 pts

– Ghana – South Africa, in Cape Coast (group G) – Sunday

Outpaced by three points by South Africa after still disappointing Thursday against Ethiopia (1-1), Ghana is obliged to win at home against Bafana Bafana who had taken the best in the ‘go (1-0) and who are still undefeated in this campaign. The South Africans could settle for a point but would be eliminated in the event of a defeat, even by a goal difference, since the two teams would then have the same goal difference but the Black Stars would go ahead in the number of goals scored.

Classification : South Africa 13 pts (+5), Ghana 10 pts (+3), Ethiopia 4 pts, Zimbabwe 1 pt

– Algeria – Burkina Faso, in Blida (group A) – Tuesday

Undefeated in 32 games, Algeria can settle for one point against Burkina Faso, who are forced to beat Blida in front of a hostile audience of 14,000 spectators. The mission promises to be very dangerous for the Stallions in the decimated attack but who had posed serious problems to the Fennecs in the second period on the way (1-1).

Classification : Algeria 13 points (+21), Burkina Faso 11 pts (+8), Niger 4 pts, Djibouti 0 pt

– Nigeria – Cape Verde, in Lagos (group C) – Tuesday

Nigeria was wrong to be surprised by the Central African Republic during the third day (0-1) and it continues to drag this setback like a ball, which will force it to play its destiny on the last day. The only African team to have participated in the last three World Cups, the Super Eagles will obviously start as favorites and will be able to settle for a draw against an opponent they had hardly overthrown at home in the first leg (2-1).

Classification : Nigeria 12 points, Cape Verde 10 pts, Central Africa 4 pts, Liberia 3 pts

– Tunisia – Zambia, in Radès (group B) – Tuesday

This is a special case since the real final opposes Tunisia from a distance against Equatorial Guinea, who restarted everything by beating it 1-0 on Saturday, but Zambia is still in the race although more in control of its destiny.

To put it simply, Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea are tied and the Carthage Eagles have an advantage in terms of goal difference (+7 against +1). They will therefore qualify if they score as good as Nzalang Nacional against Mauritania while maintaining their favorable goal difference. To surprise, Zambia must beat Tunisia in Rades with at least 3 goals and pray for a defeat of Equatorial Guinea. Complicated…

Classification : Tunisia 10 points (+7), Equatorial Guinea 10 pts (+1), Zambia 7 pts (+1), Mauritania 1 pt

– Cameroon – Ivory Coast, in Yaoundé (group D) – Tuesday

Due to the prestige of the two teams in question, the history of their rivalry and the prevailing indecision, it is undoubtedly the most anticipated of these African “finals”. With its 1-0 victory in the first leg in September, Côte d’Ivoire approaches this shock from a position of strength and will be able to settle for a point against Cameroonians in the obligation to win. The 25,000 spectators authorized at the Japoma Stadium should weigh with all their weight in the balance.

Classification : Côte d’Ivoire 13 points, Cameroon 12 pts, Malawi 3 pts, Mozambique 1 pt