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Africa qualifiers draw for FIFA World Cup 2026

The Africa qualifying draw for FIFA World Cup 2026 hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico was made on 13th July 2023. Check out the CAF qualifying format, groups and schedule for 2026 World Cup.

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Last updated: 14.07.2023
Africa qualifiers draw for FIFA World Cup 2026

Only half a year has passed since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but the preparation for the next one has already begun. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup including 48 nations, an increase from 32, more teams will have a chance to compete at the pinnacle competition of international football. Hence, there has been a change in tournament qualifying formats in each confederation.

Teams from Africa got to know their faith in the qualifying draw that took place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The 54 nations of the Confederation of African Football or CAF were divided into nine groups in the new format. The winners from these groups will earn direct qualification to the finals in USA, Canada and Mexico while the four-best group runners will enter the playoffs. From which one team will enter the FIFA playoff tournament.     


Africa Qualifiers format for 2026 FIFA World Cup


The nine groups will be played in a home-and-away round-robin format with each of the top-placed sides moving to the 2026 FIFA World Cup automatically. Africa has nine direct slots in the competition with one other having a chance to qualify from the FIFA play-off tournament. The best four second-placed sides in the group will participate in the CAF qualifying playoff to determine the nation going to the playoff tournament.

The FIFA play-off tournament will feature one team from each of FIFA's six confederations except UEFA. One additional team from CONCACAF, the host federation, will also take part. Two of the six teams will be seeded based on the FIFA rankings. Those sides will face the winners of the first two knockout games involving the four unseeded teams to make it into the finals.    


Africa Qualifiers groups for 2026 FIFA World Cup

 

Group A

Egypt

Burkina Faso

Guinea-Bissau

Sierra Leone

Ethiopia

Djibouti

 

Egypt will be hoping to make the next World Cup after missing the last one in 2022. They have been handed an easy group as well.      


Group B

Senegal

Congo DR

Mauritania

Togo

Sudan

South Sudan


The same could be said about Senegal who reached the last-16 stage of the tournament last year to beaten by England. The Lions of Teranga are aiming for their third consecutive World Cup appearance.   

 

Group C

Nigeria

South Africa

Benin

Zimbabwe

Rwanda

Lesotho

 

Group C will be a bit spicier with Nigeria and 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa battling for the top spot. The Super Eagles did not qualify for the previous edition while the Bafana Bafana will be looking for their fourth qualification in tournament history.  

 

Group D

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Angola

Libya

Eswatini

Mauritius

 

Cameroon is willing to participate in consecutive World Cups and overall eighth time in their history.    


Group E

Morocco

Zambia

Congo

Tanzania

Niger

Eritrea

 

The nation that shocked the world by qualifying to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, Morocco will be hoping to make their journey into the next one having drawn in an easy group as well.     

 

Group F

Côte d'Ivoire

Gabon

Kenya

The Gambia

Burundi

Seychelles

 

Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire want to replace their disappointment of missing out on the last two editions of the World Cup by qualifying for 2026.     


Group G

Algeria

Guinea

Uganda

Mozambique

Botswana

Somalia

 

Algeria are also without World Cup participation since 2014 and will face stiff competition from Guinea, looking for their first, for the automatic spot.   

 

Group H

Tunisia

Equatorial Guinea

Namibia

Malawi

Liberia

São Tomé and Príncipe

 

Tunisia is wishing for their third straight appearance in the World Cup and their seventh in total after paired in a group with no major worries.   

 

Group I

Mali

Ghana

Madagascar

Central African Republic

Comoros

Chad


The fight for the top spot will be quite intense between Mali and Ghana in Group I. Black Stars are pushing for their fourth participation in the competition whereas Les Aigles are hoping for their debut.    

 

Africa Qualifiers dates for 2026 FIFA World Cup

 

Matchday 1 & 2: 13-21 November 2023

Matchday 3 & 4: 3-11 June 2024

Matchday 5 & 6: 17-25 March 2025

Matchday 7 & 8: 1-9 September 2025

Matchday 9 & 10: 6-14 October 2025

Play-offs (semi-final/final): 10-18 November 2025

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