Algeria Qualifies, World Cup Qualifiers for October International Break Begin to Be Completed

ORAN, FRIDAY – Algeria has become the 20th team to qualify for the World Cup. They follow Egypt, which had already qualified as a representative of Africa. This certainty was achieved after defeating Somalia, 3-0, in a match at the Olympic Stadium d’Oran, Oran, Algeria, on Thursday (9/10/2025) evening.

Even in this crucial match, we continued to enjoy the game on the field. Criticism helps us to progress and correct our mistakes.

At least nine World Cup tickets are up for grabs during the international break in October. Seven tickets are available for representatives from Africa, while the other two tickets are contested by members of the AFC (Asia), including Indonesia. The African Football Confederation (CAF) has been allocated nine representatives for the 2026 World Cup.

That number could increase by one if a team wins a spot through the intercontinental playoff qualification process. So far, only four CAF member countries have secured their World Cup spots: Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria.

"Congratulations to us and to all of us. We managed to make this match look easy. Even in this crucial match, we continued to enjoy the game on the field. Criticism helps us to move forward and correct our mistakes," said Algeria's coach, Vladimir Petkovic, after the match on Friday (10/10/2025) early morning WIB.

Three goals that secured victory for Algeria were contributed by Mohamed Amoura (two goals) and former Manchester City striker, Riyad Mahrez. This result places Algeria at the top of Group G qualification with a total of 22 points from seven wins, one draw, and one loss. Group G consists of six countries, and only the top-ranked team is entitled to qualify directly. The second-ranked country must undergo the second round of qualifying matches.

Algeria's path to the 2026 World Cup was briefly halted when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Guinea during the international break in September. However, Algeria has since rediscovered their best form to defeat Somalia and secure their ticket to the World Cup for the fifth time in the country's history. Algeria last appeared in the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, where they managed to advance to the Round of 16.

Algeria's success in qualifying for the World Cup has made the ticket quota for representatives from Africa or CAF increasingly limited. Until the end of the international break in October, there are at least five direct tickets still up for grabs.

The five tickets are potentially up for grabs by group leaders such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Benin, and Senegal. These group leaders must perform consistently to avoid slipping in the next two matches, which are crucial for qualification.

If the members of CAF are still competing for five tickets until the end of the international break in October, a more intense situation is being experienced by the members of AFC. There are six countries competing for two tickets through the fourth round of qualification. AFC has a total of eight tickets available for direct qualification.

Saudi Arabia has a great chance of advancing after defeating Indonesia in the Group B match. Meanwhile, three countries in Group A still have an equally significant opportunity to qualify following the draw between Qatar and Oman.

Indonesia still has a chance to advance, albeit a slim one. The condition is that the team coached by Patrick Kluivert must achieve a significant victory over Iraq in the second match, and in another match, Saudi Arabia must lose to Iraq. This scenario would result in all three teams in Group B having the same points total, namely three points. The country that advances will then be determined by goal difference.

"Now it's time to analyze and come back stronger against Iraq because the match against Iraq, we have to win," said Kluivert.

On the other hand, Oman is optimistic about making history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. To achieve this, they have even made efforts by recruiting world-class coach Carlos Queiroz to realize this grand dream. The former coach of Real Madrid and the Portugal national team is believed to be capable of leading Oman to the World Cup.

"He has been working with us for about three months and his performance has been good. Hopefully, he will help us qualify for the World Cup," said Oman's forward, Muhsen Al Ghassani, who currently plays for Bangkok United.

Only the group winners qualify directly for the World Cup. The runners-up advance to the fifth round, where they face each other in home and away matches. The winners of this fifth round will represent the AFC in the intercontinental qualifying round. (REUTERS)