Will Salah & Mane be at World Cup 2022? How Liverpool stars can qualify for Qatar
Both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are stars for Liverpool as well as Egypt and Senegal respectively, and following a promising display at Afcon 2021, anticipation towards their involvement at the 2022 World Cup has begun to ramp up.
But following the news of the CAF play-off draw, Egypt and Senegal have been drawn against one another – so does that mean only one of Salah and Mane will be in Qatar this winter?
GOAL takes a look.
Will Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane be at World Cup 2022?
Only one of Salah or Mane will be participating in the World Cup 2022 finals due to Egypt and Senegal being drawn against one another in the CAF (Confederation of African Football) play-offs.
Whoever wins the Egypt vs Senegal World Cup play-of game will be headed to Qatar, while the other will sit the competition out entirely.
During their respective World Cup qualifying campaigns, Senegal were named as a seeded team in the World Cup draw, while Egypt have been categorised as an unseeded side.
Both Salah and Mane were involved in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but both failed to progress past the group stage with their respective teams – a disappointing turn of events for both.
Now, though, they will be pitted against one another in the CAF play-offs for the one coveted spot to Qatar.
Five matches will be played at the end of March to decide which CAF teams will be playing at the World Cup.
Aside from Egypt vs Senegal, other Afcon match-ups include Malia vs Tunisia (who have yet to qualify for a World Cup), Nigeria vs Ghana, Cameroon vs Algeria, DR Congo vs Morocco.
When is the Egypt vs Senegal World Cup 2022 play-off draw?
Egypt will face off against Senegal for the final World Cup place over two legs.
The first leg will be played between March 24-26, and the second leg will be placed between March 27-29.
Further reading
- When is the World Cup 2022 play-off draw? Date, teams & everything you need to know
- Liverpool duo Salah and Mane go head-to-head for place at 2022 World Cup as Egypt drawn against Senegal
- World Cup 2022: Which teams have qualified for Qatar finals?
- AFCON, Champions League, Ballon d'Or? Why 2022 really could be Salah's year