JUBA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan will host Senegal on Friday in Group B of African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with both teams entering the contest at opposite ends of the standings.

South Sudan, led by French coach Nicholas Dupuis, sits bottom of the group with two matches left, while Senegal leads the standings and is close to securing a spot at next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The two sides last met in November 2023, in Dakar, where Senegal cruised to a 4-0 victory. Dupuis said his side has learned from earlier defeats to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mauritania and will approach this home fixture with renewed confidence.

"I made mistakes against DRC when we played, but in the second game in September against Mauritania we changed the formation and it was better," Dupuis told reporters in Juba. "Senegal is one of the two best teams in Africa alongside Morocco. It will be very difficult, but our players must show their talent and fight."

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said his players expected a challenging encounter despite their strong position in the group. "We know it won't be easy because South Sudan is used to challenging very strong teams," Thiaw said. "We are playing away, but we will do our best to get the three points and get closer to qualification."

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pape Matar Sarr echoed his coach's confidence, saying Senegal must stay focused to secure the win.

Senegal leads Group B with 18 points from eight matches, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 16 and Sudan with 12. Togo and Mauritania trail on seven and six points respectively, while South Sudan remains bottom with four points and no wins.

Only the group winner will qualify automatically for the World Cup, while the runner-up may advance to the second round to compete for a place in the inter-confederation playoff.