African stars Victor Osimhen of Nigeria and Bryan Mbeumo of Cameroon are both eyeing a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup — but only one of them will move a step closer when the African play-off semi-finals kick off this week in Rabat, Morocco.
Nigeria will battle Gabon, while Cameroon take on the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, with the winners meeting on Sunday for a chance to advance to the intercontinental play-offs scheduled for March 2026. The eventual representative from Africa will compete against teams from Central America and the Caribbean, Bolivia, New Caledonia, and either Iraq or the United Arab Emirates for two available World Cup slots.
Nigeria are considered favourites, with Cameroon also slightly tipped to progress, as both sides seek to join the nine African nations already qualified — Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Osimhen, who fired a hat-trick against Benin to secure Nigeria’s qualification as one of the best runners-up, has been in top form. He also netted another treble for Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League, leading the competition’s scoring chart with six goals.
“I love Victor. He is the best striker in the world,” said Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, praising his star forward while acknowledging the challenge ahead in Morocco.
Gabon, however, enter the clash with impressive momentum — eight wins and a draw from their qualifying campaign. They boast the attacking threat of Denis Bouanga, who scored eight goals, and veteran Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who found the net seven times and could be making his final World Cup push at 36.
“We have discovered many new players, and the team now has a solid core. Gabon are capable of achieving great things,” Bouanga said.
In the other semi-final, Cameroon’s hopes rest on Mbeumo, who has been in fine form for Manchester United with four goals in his last four Premier League games, earning the October Player of the Month award.
Coach Marc Brys is counting on the forward to help the Indomitable Lions — Africa’s most frequent World Cup qualifiers with eight appearances — reclaim their dominance after finishing behind Cape Verde in the group stage.
Their opponents, DR Congo, narrowly missed automatic qualification after surrendering a two-goal lead to Senegal in their final group match and will be without injured Newcastle United winger Yoane Wissa.
With both matches set in Rabat, African football fans are in for a thrilling battle as Osimhen and Mbeumo lead their nations’ charge for a place on the world’s biggest football stage.
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