Nigeria, Sept. 8 -- The African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered another major twist on Monday, as one of the continent's heavyweights secured an early ticket to next year's tournament in North America.

The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia secured their qualification with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in Malabo, thanks to a last-gasp winner from Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane in the 90th minute.

The result took Tunisia to 22 points after eight matches, an unassailable lead over second-placed Namibia, who sit on 12 points with only three games left.

Even if Namibia were to win their remaining fixtures, they cannot catch the Tunisians, meaning the North African giants are guaranteed their third successive World Cup...