One of the front runners to gain World Cup qualification from the CONCACAF region will open their campaign on Thursday, as Egypt look to make a bright start when they host Djibouti.
World Cup Qualifier Preview
The long road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway for some of the biggest nations in Africa this week, as Egypt will be looking to put down an early marker for top spot in the Group A standings. The nation will be looking to recover after narrowly missing out on a place at the 2022 World Cup at the end of last year.
However, this remains a golden age for Egyptian football, and they will be heavily favoured to top the Group A standings, while a positive display at the Africa Cup of Nations is also expected. Egypt comes into this match in solid recent form this year, as they have won six of their eight internationals this year. However, they were held to a 1-1 draw in their previous match against Algeria last month.
Djibouti will be the massive outsiders in the betting for this Group A opener, as they look to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in their history. Their record in qualifying would be a massive concern, as they have won just twice in 21 previous matches. They have won just one match in the previous three editions of World Cup qualification.
However, their recent form would be a positive factor in their favour, as they have won each of their last three internationals. Their most recent success was a 3-1 victory over Pakistan in the Four Nations Cup. But, this is a huge step up in opposition.
Egypt vs Djibouti Head to Head
Egypt have an excellent record in this fixture, as they have won each of the previous two matches between these nations. The latest of those was a 4-0 success in October 2008. Djibouti are yet to score against Egypt.
Egypt vs Djibouti Prediction
There appears to be a huge gulf in class between these two nations, and it could be hard to see anything other than a comfortable victory for Egypt. Therefore, we will be siding with the home side landing a 3-0 home win to kick off their Group A campaign.
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