The 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico is drawing closer, but for African football, one of the most exciting chapters in recent confederation history is now beginning: qualification for the 2030 World Cup, which will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco – with the well-known anniversary matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to celebrate the tournament's 100th birthday. For CAF nations, this means not only sporting competitions at the highest level, but also the chance to see a World Cup on African soil for the first time with host nation Morocco. All information on the format can be found in the overview of 2030 World Cup Qualification Africa.
The spotlight remains on one name: Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian, born on June 15, 1992, would already be 38 years old at the tournament's start in 2030. After his record-breaking career at FC Liverpool – including the 2019 Champions League title and Premier League championships – Salah is regarded as one of the best African players of all time. A World Cup title or even just a round of 16 spot is still missing from his resume: at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Egypt was eliminated in the group stage, they failed to qualify for 2022, and they also couldn't make it through for the 2026 World Cup. It is to be expected that the 2030 World Cup will be Salah's personal last big shot at the world stage – and that the national coach and federation will do everything to preserve his experience package until the tournament.
Sportingly, the signs are decent: Egypt traditionally belongs to the strongest nations in North Africa and has won the African Cup seven times – a record. In the FIFA World Rankings, the Pharaohs typically rank in the upper-middle tier among African nations, usually between 4th and 8th place on the continent. Besides Salah, goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and defender Ahmed Hegazi are expected to provide leadership. At the same time, a generational change is emerging. Names like Omar Marmoush, who recently made waves in the Bundesliga at Eintracht Frankfurt, are positioning themselves as natural successors in attack. Marmoush, born in 1999, would be at the peak of his football age in 2030 – and could, according to many observers' expectations, seamlessly take on the role of the great hope.
The format of African qualification is likely to follow the proven scheme: group stage, in which the group winners advance directly to the World Cup, as well as playoffs for the best runners-up. How many starting spots Africa will exactly receive for 2030 is not yet finally confirmed at this time – at the 48-team 2026 World Cup, it was nine fixed spots plus an intercontinental playoff, and a similar distribution is expected. A detailed qualification match schedule will be published after the official draw. Those who want to keep track of all continents can find it in the overview of 2030 World Cup Qualification.
For Egypt, it's about more than just table points. A look at history shows: the "Pharaohs" have participated in a World Cup three times so far – in 1934, 1990 and 2018. A fourth appearance in 2030 would be a historic milestone, especially with the symbolic backdrop of a World Cup in Morocco, where thousands of Egyptian fans are likely to travel. The competition from Morocco (as co-host, likely directly qualified), Senegal, Algeria and Nigeria will also be preparing.
Fun fact to conclude: should Salah actually play in 2030, he would be one of the oldest active outfield players at a World Cup final tournament – a club otherwise dominated mainly by goalkeepers. Further background and analysis can be found in the latest news.