The suspense is total. On the one hand, Côte d'Ivoire strolled, not on the beaches of Seychelles but in the National Sports Complex Pitch in Saint-Pierre with a crushing victory this Friday (0-7). The Elephants continue their flawless performance and assume their status as favorites.
But the winners of CAN 2023 have no reason to be completely reassured. Because behind them, Gabon is coming back in force. Led by a gala Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Central African country won not without difficulty in Gambia (3-4), largely thanks to a quadruplet from Marseillais.
Group F of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers has therefore still not rendered its verdict. Everything is still possible in this race for qualification between the Ivorians and the Panthers, with only one match to win the final ticket to North America.
Gabon qualified if…
For the moment, Ivory Coast remains in the lead. Emerse Fae's men are still undefeated (7 wins and 2 draws) and have a total of 23 points. The Gabonese dolphin is really very close. Only one tie-breaking point for the moment between the two teams. Thanks to its success, Gabon maintains the pressure on the leader and can dream of direct qualification for the World Cup. But to achieve this, only two scenarios are possible, with a victory at home against Burundi being imperative (Tuesday, 9 p.m.). A normally harmless opponent, penultimate in the ranking with 10 points on the clock and above all already mathematically eliminated.
In case of defeat, first place will be inaccessible. The possibilities of qualification therefore necessarily require a misstep by the Elephants at home against third in the group, Kenya (Tuesday, 9 p.m.). In the event of a draw or defeat at the end of this meeting, first place would be offered to Aubameyang's teammates, forcing the Ivory Coast to go through play-offs reserved for the best runners-up in the Africa zone. Conversely, a victory would be synonymous with the World Cup. If the meeting between the Panthers and Burundi ends in a tie, in addition to an Ivorian defeat, the goal average will favor the Elephants despite a similar number of points.
