Trending 
The hopes of top African strikers Victor Osimhen of Nigeria and Bryan Mbeumo of Cameroon for playing in the expanded 2026 World Cup hang in the balance on a critical four-nation play-off tournament being held in Rabat, Morocco.
Since only one country can advance to the final intercontinental play-offs, only one of these stars will continue their campaign.
The semi-finals, taking place on Thursday, pit Nigeria against Gabon and Cameroon against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).
The winners will meet in the final on Sunday for the right to compete in a subsequent global play-off round next March, where two final World Cup berths are at stake.
Nigeria, despite being strong favourites, face a Gabon side that had the best record of the four runners-up in the first qualifying stage.
Gabon boast their own formidable striking duo: Denis Bouanga, a 2025 African Player of the Year nominee, and veteran Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Osimhen, who recently scored a hat-trick for Nigeria and is a top scorer in the Champions League, leads the Super Eagles’ charge.
Meanwhile, Mbeumo is in sensational form, having recently been voted Premier League Player of the Month for October and helping Manchester United to an unbeaten run.
He will spearhead Cameroon’s effort to overcome DR Congo, who are missing injured winger Yoane Wissa.
Cameroon, an African record eight-time World Cup qualifier, is the slight favourite over DR Congo, which had a strong initial showing but faltered late in their group.
