The match takes place today at the 30 June Stadium at 5pm. Egypt, with four wins and a draw, have already secured their place at the AFCON finals, leaving the Zebras and Mauritania to battle for the remaining spot. There has been confusion as to what will determine the Zebras fate in case there is a tie for second place. For this year's qualifiers, CAF is using the head-to-head system and not the goal difference to determine placing in case of teams finishing level on points. This effectively eliminates Cape Verde, which is on four points and can only finish level with Botswana on seven points if they win their clash against Mauritania today, also kicking off at 5pm. Cape Verde lost both matches to the Zebras, meaning Botswana will go through if Mauritania fails to get maximum points in their home tie. However, a Mauritania win over Cape Verde today will mean the Zebras must get at least a point against Egypt to ensure Botswana progresses to the finals. A Mauritania win, coupled with a Zebras loss, would mean the Northwest Africans go through at the expense of Botswana due to their head-to-head clash.
Botswana failed to beat Mauritania over the two legs, with the first round match ending in a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Zebras, which could ultimately prove costly. The return leg played on Friday saw the teams share the spoils in an entertaining 1-1 draw. This means Mauritania got four points from the Zebras and will proceed if the two teams finish level on points. Goal difference will not come into play but would have been used if the two teams levelled each other over their two legs, which is not the case as Mauritania has the edge. The Zebras need to avoid defeat and their ticket to Morocco next year would have been punched, regardless of what happens in Mauritania's Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya. Mauritania start as favourites to beat a dispirited Cape Verde at home, with the Islanders having nothing to play for as the head-to-head system automatically eliminates them from the contest. It will now be up to the Zebras to get at least a point from Egypt as their destiny is firmly in their hands. The team will not have to rely on the result between Mauritania and Cape Verde if a point is secured in Cairo, with the two matches being played simultaneously. The Zebras will take solace in that some of Egypt's stars, including talisman, Mohammed Salah will miss the tie as it is of little significance with qualification secured.
