2026 World Cup qualifiers: Ghana, Tunisia, Burkina Faso & Ivory Coast brighten their chances with impressive wins

Thomas Partey scored a brace for Ghana

By Emmanuel Akyereko

Ghana’s Black Stars marched on with another impressive 3-0 away victory over Madagascar in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Monday night.

Otto Addo’s side has now scored 8 goals and kept clean sheets in this international break. Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was at the center stage in Morocco as he bagged a brace in the encounter in the Group I encounter.

Mohammed Kudus rediscovered his scoring boot for the 4-time AFCON winners as he netted the third goal from a Jordan Ayew assist. Ayew, Ghana’s skipper, provided a hat-trick of assists in the game as Ghana has amassed 15 points and assumed a commanding lead in the group.

Elsewhere at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, Mali were held to a pulsating 0-0 contest by the Central African Republic.

West African side Burkina Faso were 2-1 victors away Guinea-Bissau in Group A. Shakhtar Donetsk forward Lassina Traore scored both goals for the Stallions.

Sebastien Haller scored the solitary goal for Ivory Coast’s Elephants in a slender 1-0 win over Gambia as the Group F’s contention picks up heat with Gabon prevailing 2-1 over Kenya to remain second on the table with 15 points.

The Walia Ibex were the biggest victors on Monday as they hammered Djibouti 6-1 to record their first win of the campaign.

Bereket Besta and Ahmed Abubeker Nasir each scored a hat-trick in the clash at the Ben M’Hamed El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida.

Tunisia left it late to beat Malawi 2-0 at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi in Rades. Seifeddine Jaziri scored on the 86th minute mark before Mohamed Achouri added the second goal in stoppage-time.