Ghana qualified for next year’s World Cup when Mohammed Kudus tucked away a close-range effort early in the second half on Sunday to seal a 1-0 win over Comoros and send a packed Accra stadium into rapturous celebration.
Kudus tapped in a square pass from Thomas Partey in the 47th minute to secure victory in front of an expectant crowd, although Ghana would have qualified even in defeat as biggest rivals Madagascar were simultaneously beaten 4-1 in Mali.
The Black Stars are the fifth African country to confirm their participation in the finals in Canada, Mexico and the US. They have competed in four previous tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in 2010.
Ghana had a three-point lead going into the final round of Group I matches, with Madagascar’s slim hopes pinned on a win over Mali and a home loss to Ghana, but that unlikely permutation was never an issue after Mali scored in the tenth minute.
It was the first of two goals for Lassine Sinayoko, the others came from Dorgeles Nene and Gaoussou Diarra. Ghana finished with 25 points, Madagascar came second on 19 and Mali third on 18.
In the group’s other match on Sunday, Central African Republic won 3-2, condemning Chad to a winless campaign with one point from 10 qualifying matches.
Substitute Karl Namnganda scored an injury-time winner in N’Djamena as the Central African Republic ended its campaign with eight points.
Already qualified Egypt, who booked their berth on Wednesday, rested captain Mohamed Salah but ended their Group A campaign still unbeaten as they defeated Guinea-Bissau 1-0 in Cairo. Mohamed Hamdi headed home the winner in the 10th minute.
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Egypt won eight of their 10 group matches to finish with 26 points, while Burkina Faso finished second in the standings after ending their campaign with a 3-1 win over Ethiopia in Ouagadougou with a hat-trick from Scotland-based striker Pierre Kabore.
Burkina Faso hopes to finish as one of the top four runners-up, advancing to the play-off competition next month.
Also in Group A, the small Red Sea state of Djibouti threatened to record its first win of the qualifying campaign when it took the lead against Sierra Leone, but ultimately lost 2-1.
Earlier on Sunday, surprise package Niger secured second place in Group E by beating Zambia 1-0 and looked set for next month’s play-offs. Daniel Sosah, who scored for the third consecutive qualifier, grabbed the second-half winner.
Published on October 13, 2025
