Salah Ties Historic Record Set by Legends Drogba and Eto’o

The Egyptian national team secured a win against Ethiopia, with Mohamed Salah matching a significant milestone in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Salah scored from a penalty in the 41st minute, quickly followed by a goal from Omar Marmoush.

This victory puts Egypt in a strong position, leading Group A by five points over their nearest competitor, Burkina Faso.

With this performance, Mohamed Salah has tied the record for the most goals scored in African World Cup qualifying history, joining Didier Drogba, Islam Slimani, Samuel Eto’o, and Moumouni Dagano at the top.

Top African goalscorers in World Cup qualifying campaigns:

1. Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 18 goals
2. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – 18 goals
3. Islam Slimani (Algeria) – 18 goals
4. Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) – 18 goals
5. Moumouni Dagano (Burkina Faso) – 18 goals
6. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) – 16 goals
7. Dennis Oliech (Kenya) – 15 goals

Unlike his competitors, Salah is still active in his career and may break the record in his next match. Egypt will face Burkina Faso away on September 9, 2025. To date, Mohamed Salah has played 104 matches for the national team, scoring 61 goals.