![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/FWC26_Official_Emblem_1.0-696x464.jpg\" "\\"FWC26_Official_Emblem_1.0\\"\/")
<\/div>\nIvory Coast continued their perfect start in 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 away win over The Gambia in Group F.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere on Monday, Kenya and Madagascar secured their first victories of the campaign as Mali were held at home by Central African Republic.<\/p>\n
Equatorial Guinea also made it two wins from two, and Guinea-Bissau registered their first group win to kick-start their bid for qualification.<\/p>\n
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Ivory Coast on track<\/strong><\/p>\n Christian Kouame put the Elephants ahead on the stroke of half-time, steering in from the middle of the box after Oumar Diakite had a shot saved by Gambia goalkeeper Modou Jobe.<\/p>\n Midfielder Kouame had struck a powerful volley against the crossbar moments before, with a follow-up effort from Brighton winger Simon Adingra cleared off the line.<\/p>\n Seko Fofana made sure of the points in a match played in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with a fierce long-range strike in the 85th minute.<\/p>\n The West Africans move above Gabon to top Group F on goal difference, having\u00a0beaten Seychelles 9-0\u00a0in their opener on Friday.<\/p>\n Kenya\u00a0<\/strong>are up to third in the group, three points adrift of the leaders, after a 5-0 win over\u00a0Seychelles\u00a0<\/strong>in the Ivorian city of Abidjan.<\/p>\n Michael Olunga scored two goals inside the first six minutes with Masoud Juma netting on the stroke of half-time.<\/p>\n Rooney Onyango and Benson Omala struck in the second half to get Kenya\u2019s campaign back on track after their opening defeat to Gabon.<\/p>\n Mali held at home in Group I<\/strong><\/p>\n There were two matches in Group I on Monday evening. Leaders\u00a0Mali<\/strong>\u00a0were restricted to a 1-1 draw in Bamako by\u00a0Central African Republic.<\/strong><\/p>\n Kamory Doumbia put the Malians ahead after 76 minutes but just three minutes later CAR equalised through Geoffrey Kondogbia.<\/p>\n Madagascar<\/strong>\u00a0are a point behind Mali after a 3-0 win in their away match to\u00a0Chad<\/strong>\u00a0which was played in neutral Morocco.<\/p>\n A Njiva Rakotoharimalala double and a late goal from Loic Lapoussin helped Madagascar get their first points after their opening defeat to Ghana.<\/p>\n Comoros, who also have three points, host Ghana on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Former Middlesbrough and Birmingham City man Emilio Nsue guided in a ninth-minute header to give\u00a0Equatorial Guinea<\/strong>\u00a0a 1-0 win in their away game against\u00a0Liberia.<\/strong><\/p>\n The hosts had Nohan Kenneh sent off in first-half injury time for a second bookable offence and could not find a way back into the contest in Monrovia.<\/p>\n The National Thunder move top of Group H, three points ahead of Tunisia and Malawi, who face each other on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0Guinea-Bissau<\/strong>\u00a0sealed a 1-0 away victory over\u00a0Djibouti<\/strong>\u00a0in Cairo, Egypt, despite having defender Houboulang Mendes dismissed with eight minutes remaining.<\/p>\n Mauro Rodrigues netted the only goal six minutes before the break after pouncing on a poor clearance inside the area, and the West Africans are now on four points in Group A, two behind leaders Egypt.<\/p>\n Africa has a guaranteed nine qualifiers for the 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, with all group winners booking a spot at the tournament.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n