Nigeria and Ivory Coast have qualified for the World Cup.
The Nigerians became the first African team to qualify for next year’s showcase, beating Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff Saturday. Nigeria, playing at home Calabar, won 4-1 on total goals.
Ivory Coast played to a tense 1-1 draw with Senegal for a 4-2 total-goals victory in neutral Casablanca, Morocco. Ivory Coast won the first leg 3-1. It made its World Cup debut in 2006 and will be going to the tournament for the third straight time. Five teams will represent Africa in Brazil, with three remaining playoffs. Cameroon and Tunisia are even after a 0-0 draw in Tunisia while Burkina Faso leads Algeria 3-2 entering second-leg games Sunday. Burkina Faso has never been to the World Cup. Egypt hosts Ghana on Tuesday and needs a major upset to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1990. (AP)
