Second in Group I with 19 points, Madagascar was unable to confirm its place for the continental play-offs following the new CAF rule.
A bitter 4-1 defeat against the Malians for the Barea of Madagascar on the last day of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Despite an honorable second place in Group I, Corentin Martins’ protégés missed the continental play-offs. The new CAF rule published in March on the qualifiers following the withdrawal of Eritrea was fatal for the Malagasy. To restore fairness between the groups, in particular that of Eritrea (forfeited since the start of the qualifiers for political reasons), the points obtained against the bottom of each group will be deducted before establishing a special ranking. From 19 points, the Barea then go to 13 points. The Rayan gang concluded their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup on a bitter note, losing heavily 4-1 against the Eagles of Mali, this Sunday, at the 26 Mars stadium in Bamako. A victory was imperative to secure a play-off place, but the Malagasy side were unable to resist local domination, finishing second in Group I with 19 points. From the kick-off, the Eagles took control. Lassine Sinayoko opened the scoring in the 10th minute, taking advantage of a Malagasy defense taken by surprise. Dorgeles Nene doubled the lead in the 39th minute, allowing Mali to return to the locker room with a comfortable 2-0 advantage. After the break, despite Barea’s efforts to get back into the game, Sinayoko scored twice to make the score 3-0. Johan N’Zi saved the Malagasy honor in the 90th minute, well served by Njiva Rakotoharimalala, but Gaoussou Diarra sealed the fate of the match by adding a fourth goal in the 90+5th minute. A cruel end for the visitors, who never found the fault against a vengeful Malian team.
Despite this defeat, Madagascar maintains its second place with 19 points, an honorable record for a nation on the rise. Ghana, the undisputed leader, validated its direct qualification for the World Cup by beating the Comoros 1-0 in Accra, bringing its total to 25 points. In the other group match, the Central African Republic beat Chad 3-2, but remains far from the qualifying places. The Barea, who were counting on a victory to secure a place among the four best runners-up in the Africa zone synonymous with the CAF play-off, see their hopes dwindling. With this defeat, they can no longer guarantee their participation in the semi-finals and final of the African play-offs, which will lead to the FIFA play-off tournament in March 2026.
Complete ranking after the tenth day:
1 Ghana: 25 points (directly qualified for the 2026 World Cup)
2 Madagascar : 19 points
3 Mali : 18 points
4 Comores : 15 points
5 Central African Republic: 8 points
6 Tchad : 1 point
Th / Samson Heriniaina
The article World Qualifiers 2026: Beaten by the Malians, the Barea not qualified for the play-offs appeared first on Midi Madagasikara.