Nigeria and Egypt were the beneficiaries of the most dramatic twists on this final day of African qualifying. Nigeria won 3-2 in Kenya, which combined with Tunisia's 1-0 defeat in Mozambique means that they have scraped through to their 3rd World Cup Finals.
Meanwhile the most dramatic finish was in Cairo where fierce rivals Egypt and Algeria were in a winner takes all match. Egypt lead 1-0 going into stoppage time, which would have sent Algeria through on goal difference. A 2-0 win would have meant the teams could not be separated on goal difference, goals scored or head-to-head, and 5 minutes into stoppage time this happened...
The 2-0 scoreline means that a playoff will be required to separate them, which will take place on neutral ground in Sudan on Wednesday.
Cameroon also booked their World Cup spot for an African record 6th time by winning 2-0 in Morocco. My memories of Italia '90 mean I will always have a soft spot for Cameroon so I'm pleased that they've made it through again, to join Nigeria and the two nations already qualified, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Egypt or Algeria will of course join them on Wednesday.
This being an African World Cup makes it a bigger than usual tournament for the African teams who will undoubtedly receive huge support in South Africa. The hosts themselves are relatively weak and are very much up against it, but in Ghana and Ivory Coast in particular, Africa has two teams capable of having a good showing next summer.
The full list of qualifiers now reads:
Hosts: South Africa
Asia: Australia, Japan, South Korea, North Korea
Europe: Holland, England, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Serbia, Slovakia, Italy
North & Central America: United States, Mexico, Honduras
South America: Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina
Oceania: New Zealand
Africa: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria
6 places are still up for grabs, and all will be decided on Wednesday.
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