A Look Ahead to 10/10: Africa

Ghana has already clinched their spot in South Africa next summer, while Ivory Coast are almost assured of theirs as well with a 6 point lead and a goal differential advantage of 15 over second place Burkina Faso. That being said, there is still plenty up for grabs in all of the groups, as teams vie for spots in the World Cup and the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.

In Group C, Egypt will be looking to close the gap with group leaders Algeria before their showdown of the final matchday that will likely decide who moves on to the World Cup. The Pharaohs will travel to Zambia, who have slim hopes of earning a spot in the World Cup. Egypt will be looking to not only win, but to also close the 3 goal advantage Algeria has in goal differential. Algeria, meanwhile, who are sitting 3 points ahead of Egypt, will be hosting last place Rwanda on Sunday and will be looking to add to their goal differential advantage.

In Group B, Tunisia controls their own destiny, leading Nigeria by 2 points. They will be hosting Kenya, who have yet to score a goal away from home. Nigeria, meanwhile, will host Mozambique on Sunday. The Super Eagles will need some help over the last two matchdays in order to make it to South Africa, while Mozambique and Kenya will likely battle it out for third place and a spot in the African Cup of Nations.

Perhaps the most competitive group, however, is Group A, where Cameroon, Gabon, and Togo are sitting on 7, 6, and 5 points respectively. Samuel Eto'o and Cameroon will be hosting Emmanuel Adebayor and Togo in a match that could very well end Togo's hopes of a second consecutive World Cup. Gabon will be hoping to move to the top of the group, as they host fourth place Morocco. The Black Panthers already beat Morocco on the road by a score of 2-1 earlier in qualifying and will be looking to duplicate that performance in Libreville.

So, much like everywhere else in the world, there is still much to be decided in Africa, and the next matchday will go a long way in deciding that.