The fight for a direct slot at next year’s 2026 World Cup could get fiercer from Group A as Sierra Leone ready for red-hot favourite Egypt in Cairo.
Since the arrival of the new coach Mohamed Kallon, there is renewed energy in the Leone Stars after they recorded a 3-1 win over Guinea Bissau in the Liberian Capital last Thursday.
The Guinea Bissau victory was the first time Sierra Leone recorded a win with such margins since 2000 with new faces largely local stars.
A turn of event that would probably get the Egyptian team led by Mohamed Salah to sit up and get ready for war. Egypt and Sierra Leone will both bid for back-to-back wins in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday for their matchday six encounters.
Sierra Leone have been resilient in their campaign, recovering from a poor start when they failed to win their first two games in November 2023. They have since turned their fortunes around with a sequence of good results to remain in contention for qualification.
Like their hosts, the Leone Stars enter this match after a solid 3-1 win over Guinea-Bissau, marking a strong debut for head coach Mohamed Kallon leadership. Sierra Leone has achieved two wins in five matches, with captain Mustapha Bundu scoring first and Ibrahim Turay sealing the victory in stoppage time.
They currently sit third in the table with eight points, just five behind leaders Egypt. Egypt extended their lead at the top of Group A to 13 points after a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia, nearing their first World Cup appearance since 2018.
Mohamed Salah scored the opening goal and assisted for the second, while Trezeguet, despite good chances, couldn’t add to his tally. Egypt boasts the joint-highest goals scored in the qualifiers with 13 and has conceded only two, making them formidable opponents.
Elsewhere, Lassina Traoré scored a brace that helped the Stallions of Burkina Faso secure back-to-back World Cup qualifying victories, defeating Guinea-Bissau 2-1 at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro on Monday.
As a result, they closed the gap on Egypt to two points ahead of Sierra Leone’s matchday six encounter today.
