With the CAF 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers currently underway, we highlight the 10 highest-valued African stars trying to help their respective nations reach the global showpiece.
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While countries from South America and Europe are currently preparing for their respective continental competitions that are set to take place later this month, nations from Africa are continuing to vie for spots at the biggest World Cup in history.
One of the nations that have best placed themselves to do this is Morocco. The Atlas Lions are one of three countries that still boast a 100% record during the qualification phase so far and after a historic World Cup campaign in 2022, will be looking to go one step further at the next edition and go to the final. Among their ranks, the north Africans have the most valuable player during this phase of the qualification process in Achraf Hakimi.
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The Paris Saint-Germain man is an ever-present for his nation and is regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the world. He is valued at €60 million (R1.2 billion) and has played in both his country's qualifiers against Tanzania and Zambia so far. Hakimi is the highest-valued African player in these qualifiers.
Here are the 10 highest-valued African stars currently participating in CAF 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, as per Transfermarkt:
One of the other nations with an unblemished record so far during these qualifiers is Egypt. The Pharaohs have won all three of their matches thus far and are sitting at the summit of Group A after beating Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. They have Mohamed Salah to thank in large part for that as the Liverpool legend has either scored or assisted for the record African champions in each of those aforementioned matches. The winger has four goals and two assists so far in World Cup qualification, and is valued the second-highest among the African players currently playing for their nations at €55 million (R1.1 billion).
Another Premier League star trying to get his team back to sports' biggest event is Mohammed Kudus. The 23-year-old had a phenomenal debut campaign with West Ham United in the 2023/24 season, but now, with the club season over, the Right to Dream alumni is trying to help the Black Stars qualify for back-to-back World Cups for the first time since they made it to three consecutive tournaments between 2006 and 2014.
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The west African giants have had a mixed bag of results so far, though, with a 1-0 defeat to Comoros sandwiched in between victories over Madagascar and Mali. While the Accra native has not yet scored or assisted during World Cup qualifiers, his efforts in the English top flight have seen his valuation rise to €50 million (R1 billion), rounding off the podium places for the most valuable African stars in this stage of CAF World Cup qualification.
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