Egypt tightened their hold on Group A in the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers with a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, on Friday night into Saturday morning.
First-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Zizo secured the win for the Pharaohs, extending their lead at the top of the group to five points over second-placed Burkina Faso.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia remains winless in the qualifiers, sitting fifth in the standings—10 points adrift of the group leaders.
Ethiopia held their own for the opening half-hour but were punished for a defensive lapse in the 31st minute.
A misplaced pass in their own half allowed Hamdi Fathy to set up Salah, who made no mistake in slotting past debutant goalkeeper Abubeker Ambisa to put Egypt 1-0 ahead.
Nine minutes later, Salah turned provider, delivering a precise pass to Zizo, who finished from a tight angle to double the advantage and put the North Africans in firm control.
Egypt eased off in the second half but still created several scoring opportunities. Trezeguet was particularly unlucky, having a strong penalty claim waved away, seeing a brilliant double save from Ambisa deny him, and later striking the upright—all in separate moments of frustration.
Despite their dominance, Hossam Hassan’s men settled for a 2-0 victory, which brings them one step closer to securing a spot at next year’s World Cup in North America.
Ethiopia will return to Group A action on Monday, March 24, when they face Djibouti in a neutral venue in Morocco, while Egypt will host Sierra Leone in Cairo the following day.
