African World Cup Qualifiers: Big boys warm up for their first 'home' World Cup

Jonathan Wilson / Jonathan Wilson / 26 March 2009 / Leave a Comment

Jonathan Wilson rounds up the scene in Africa as the continent starts qualification proper.

As the final stage of African World Cup qualifying gets under way this weekend - and, for once, the process is simple: five groups of four, with the top side from each qualifying for next year's finals, along with the hosts, South Africa - the most striking thing is who isn't there.

The most notable absentees are South Africa themselves. In terms of World Cup participation, of course, that is irrelevant, but qualification for next January's African Cup of Nations is also decided by these groups, with the top three joining Angola.

Finishing behind an increasingly impressive Nigeria is no shame, but finishing 11 points behind them and level with Sierra Leone is. Home advantage may not be enough to spare them humiliation next summer, and the fact they will not be at the African Nations that preceded their own tournament is both embarrassing and probably detrimental in terms of their preparation.

Angola themselves also missed out, although they at least have the excuse of a tough group that featured Uganda, who performed far above expectations under Csaba Laszlo, now the manager of Hearts, as well as the qualifiers Benin.

Perhaps the biggest casualties, though, were the 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists Senegal, whose FA headquarters was set on fire by angry fans after Aziz Corr Nyang's 85th-minute equaliser for Gambia denied them the win they needed in their final match.

Pick of this weekend's games is Cameroon's trip to Togo (Togo [4.5]; Cameroon [1.9]). Cameroon had qualified for four successive World Cups before missing out on Germany three years ago, and their rhetoric since has been marked by a desire to right that wrong. They are not the side they were when they retained the African Cup of Nations in 2002 under Winfried Schafer, but under another German, the veteran Otto Pfister, they have regained a certain obduracy which, along with the goals of Samuel Eto'o, was enough to take them to the final of the African Nations in Ghana last year.

Pfister was Togo's coach at the World Cup finals in Germany, but they have declined sharply since, and didn't even qualify for Ghana last year. That Emmanuel Adebayor has been included despite not having played for six weeks with a hamstring injury is indicative of how much they rely on him.

Cameroon's main rivals in Group A are likely to be Roger Lemerre's youthful Morocco, who recovered from a poor African Cup of Nations to hammer Belgium 4-1 last year. "We've finally found the team we've been seeking for the last ten years," insisted the forward Abdessalam Benjelloun. They begin at home to group minnows Gabon (Morocco [1.41]; Gabon [10.0]).

Nigeria were another of the big guns who failed to make it to Germany, but they have been making ominous progress under Shuaibu Amodou. Their recent friendly against Jamaica at Millwall may have been the dullest of 0-0s, but he later admitted he had only wanted his side to practise retaining possession. Whether he can maintain such focus as the Nigerian press demands excitement remains to be seen, but Nigeria were the only team to win six out of six in the preliminary phase. They start away to Mozambique (Mozambique [3.95]; Nigeria [1.88]), while Tunisia travel to Kenya (Kenya [3.15]; Tunisia [2.44]).

Ghana were Africa's most impressive representatives at the last World Cup and, while the want of a striker is likely again to temper the effectiveness of a hugely gifted midfield, they should be confident of progression. They start against Benin (Ghana [1.22; Benin [13.5]) - rugged but ultimately hapless in the last African Nations - while Sudan host Mali (Sudan [3.1]; Mali [2.34]).

Ivory Coast, perhaps just past their peak, have reason for similar optimism as they face Malawi (Ivory Coast [1.2]; Malawi [13.5]), while Burkina Faso face Guinea (Burkina Faso [2.66]; Guinea [2.64]) in Group E.

The team with the most to prove, though, is probably Egypt. They have won the last two African Nations titles, but have not been to a World Cup since 1990. They are a neat, well-drilled side, blessed with outstanding midfielders in Hosny Abd Rabo and Ahmed Hassan, while Mohamed Aboutrika is probably the best playmaker in Africa. They start against Zambia (Egypt [1.28]; Zambia [11.5]), against whom they drew in Ghana in a final group game after they'd already qualified, and with Rwanda and Algeria (Rwanda [3.2]; Algeria [2.38]), who meet in Kigali, making up arguably the weakest group, the Pharaohs know that destiny is calling.