Looking Ahead to 11/14: Africa

23 teams have already clinched their spot in South Africa, and the remaining 9 will be determined later this month. Of those 9 remaining spots, 3 will go to African teams. With the World Cup being played in Africa for the first, many pundits expect a good showing from the African teams, so it will be interesting to see who moves on to next summer's tournament.

Group C play will conclude with a dramatic showdown between first place Algeria (13 points, +7 goal differential) and second place Egypt (10 points, +3 goal differential) in Cairo. Algeria can advance with a win, a tie, or a one goal loss. For Egypt to advance, they will need to win by three goals. The Egyptians did defeat Rwanda at home by three goals earlier in qualification, but Algeria is definitely a better team and will put up more of a fight (no offense all of our Rwandan readers). In fact, aside from that one game, Egypt have failed to score more than one goal in any of their final round qualifiers. Algeria, meanwhile, have only given up two goals in five matches, with no more than one allowed in any game. They also defeated Egypt convincingly earlier in qualification, taking a 3-0 lead and eventually winning 3-1. Needless to say, the Pharaohs will have their work cut out for them. We're going to predict that Algeria will move on to their first World Cup since 1986. But be aware, this might not be the only Algeria-Egypt matchup of the week; if Egypt wins by two goals, the two sides will play a one match playoff at a neutral venue on November 18 to decide who moves on to South Africa.

Elsewhere, Group B is still up for grabs, with Nigeria and Tunisia battling for the top spot. Tunisia currently sit atop the group with a 2 point edge over Nigeria (both have a goal differential of +4). Tunisia control their own destiny, as they head to Mozambique for their final match. Mozambique were able to hold Nigeria to a draw at home, so they won't be a pushover. Nigeria, meanwhile, head to Kenya. The Super Eagles have yet to score a goal on the road in their final round qualifiers, playing to two scoreless draws. They will need a win coupled with a Tunisia draw or loss to earn a World Cup berth. The good thing about African qualification is that it doubles as African Cup of Nations qualification, so all of the teams involved still have something to play for. So even though Mozambique and Kenya have no chance of making it to the World Cup, they will still be playing for the win, as they are battling for third place in the group and a spot in the African Cup of Nations in Angola next year. Our prediction: Tunisia takes care of business and moves on to their fourth consecutive World Cup.

Last but not least, Cameroon and Gabon are vying for the top spot in Group A. Cameroon have gone on a tear of late, winning three straight matches (including two over Gabon) after a slow start to qualification. With a 1 point lead and 2 goal advantage over Gabon, Cameroon have the edge going into the final matchday, when they go to Morocco. Gabon travels to Togo, meanwhile, with Togo clinging to third place in the group. Cameroon, led by Inter star Samuel Eto'o, are showing no signs of slowing down, and we think they'll move on to the World Cup. Morocco need a win if they want to move on to the African Cup of Nations and will likely press for a goal as the match goes on. This will leave them spread out and vulnerable to the counterattack. With Cameroons array of talented attack players, we expect them to punish the Moroccan defense.

So, while your watching the US take on Slovakia, keep an eye on the action in Africa, as six teams fight for three coveted spots in next summer's World Cup.