DR Congo and South Africa maintained momentum of their lead in Group B and C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers with respective 4-1 and 3-0 wins over South Sudan and Lesotho on Friday afternoon, Afrosport reports.
Real Betis forward Cedric Bakambu netted a brace and provided an assist for new Newcastle signing Yoane Wissa while Nathanael Mbuku was also on target as the Leopards pulled four points clear of Senegal who play Sudan later on Friday evening.
| Éliminatoires Coupe du Monde 2026 🇸🇸⚔️🇨🇩 |
✅ C’est terminé au Juba Stadium !
Large victoire des Léopards 🐆 qui s’imposent avec autorité.
⚽️ Buteurs :
C. Bakambu x2, N. Mbuku, Y. Wissa🔚 Soudan du Sud 1–4 RD Congo 🇨🇩
🔥 Trois points importants dans la course au Mondial… pic.twitter.com/G15JqMqV9V
— Fecofa RDC_Officiel (@FecofaRdc) September 5, 2025
Meanwhile, South Africa were undeterred by the controversy surrounding their failure to receive punishment for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho in the first leg as goals from Mohau Nkota, Lyle Foster and Oswin Appollis maintained their five-point lead over Benin who beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in the other Group C game.
And so it ends at Free State Stadium #BafanaPride@SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/cf6mtesenu
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) September 5, 2025
In Group A, Burkina Faso moved within two points of leaders Egypt after their 6-0 bashing of Djibouti in Bissau while in Group E, the Republic of Congo and Tanzania played out a 1-1 draw.
In Group F, Brighton &Hove Albion forward Yankuba Minteh scored and assisted as The Gambia got the better of Kenya with a 3-1 win in Nairobi.
Group G action saw Borussia Dortmund foward Serhou Guirassy score in Guinea’s 3-0 win over Somalia while 2024 African Nations Championship star Allan Okello scored a goal and provided two assists in Uganda’s 4-0 win over Mozambique in Kampala.
