FIFA WCQ: Salah and Trézéguet top the qualifying goal scoring lists

The FIFA World Cup 2026 journey is slowly taking shape as African countries compete for the continent’s nine guaranteed spots, with a potential tenth spot up for grabs.

With the stakes higher than ever, the qualifications have been nothing short of spectacular, with some games offering high-scoring results and others being fiercely competitive and tactically complex.

After Match Day 5 ended on Saturday, March 22, CAFOnline looks at the top five qualifiers.

Six Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

The flaming With the forward accounting for six of the Pharaohs’ 13 goals, Mohamed Salah is reproducing his club form for the national team.

Salah topped the qualifying rankings following Match Day 5, and Egypt dominated Group A with 13 points from four victories and a draw.

In their first round of the qualifiers, Liverpool defeated Djibouti 6-0, with the striker scoring four goals. After helping Egypt achieve a much-needed equalizer against Guinea-Bissau on Match Day 4, he scored against Ethiopia in a 2-0 victory on Friday, giving Egypt six goals in five games.

Egypt’s Mahmoud Trézéguet scored five

Mahmoud Trézéguet is ranked second on the goalscoring lists and is only one goal away from tying teammate Mohamed Salah’s six goals.

Trézéguet leads with five goals after scoring two goals in a 2-0 victory over Sierra Leonne on Match Day 2, one goal in a 6-0 victory over Djibouti, and two more goals against Burkina Faso on Match Day 5.

Five Denis Bouanga (Gabon)

Additionally, Denis Bouanga leads Gabon with five outstanding goals. In a 2-1 victory over Kenya on Match Day 1, the MLS star scored his first of the qualifying goals.

The attacker contributed to another 2-1 victory over Burundi on Match Day 2, continuing his goal-scoring trend.

In a 3-2 victory against The Gambia on Match Day 4, Bouanga made a comeback with another goal. On Match Day 5, he scored his fourth and fifth goals with a brace in a 3-0 victory over Seychelles.

Ayew Jordan (Ghana) – 5

Jordan Ayew, the Black Stars’ captain, is leading his country from the front as the top scorer in the qualifiers.

Following a last-minute goal in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Mali, the captain’s hat-trick in the Black Stars’ 4-3 victory over Central Africa Republic has put Ghana in a strong position going into the qualifiers.

In a 5-0 thumping of Chad on Match Day 5 of the qualifications, the captain made it five with a penalty kick as the Black Stars continue their quest for a World Cup berth.

Five Kamory Doumbia (Mali)

In addition to helping the Eagles set up their play, Kamory Doumbia, Mali’s attacking midfielder, has scored five goals for his country’s FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

On the first day of the qualifiers, Doumbia opened his account with a goal in a 3-1 victory over Chad.

Match Day 2 saw Doumbia draw 1-1 with the Central African Republic in a closely contested match, and Match Day 3 saw them lose 2-1 against Ghana.

With a spectacular brace on Match Day 5, Doumbia scored his fourth and fifth goals, helping Mali defeat Comoros 3-0.

Other noteworthy qualifiers include Steve Mounie (Benin) with three points, Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso) with three, Lassina Traore (Burkina Faso) with three, and Musa Barrow (Gambia) with four points.