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International football competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) is the African section of the qualification tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. A total of nine slots in the final tournament and one inter-confederation play-off slot are reserved for CAF teams.[1]
Tournament details | |
---|---|
Dates | 15 November 2023 – 18 November 2025 |
Teams | 53 (from 1 confederation) |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 103 |
Goals scored | 243 (2.36 per match) |
Attendance | 835,446 (8,111 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | Mohamed Salah Trézéguet (5 goals each) |
Due to nine CAF teams now directly qualifying instead of five, the CAF Executive Committee announced a new qualification format on 19 May 2023. Teams were drawn into nine groups of six teams. The winner of each group will directly qualify to the World Cup, while the four best group runners-up will participate in play-offs to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.[2][3]
Round | Matchday | Dates |
---|---|---|
First round | Matchday 1 | 15–18 November 2023 |
Matchday 2 | 19–21 November 2023 | |
Matchday 3 | 5–8 June 2024 | |
Matchday 4 | 9–11 June 2024 | |
Matchday 5 | 17–25 March 2025 | |
Matchday 6 | ||
Matchday 7 | 1–9 September 2025 | |
Matchday 8 | ||
Matchday 9 | 6–14 October 2025 | |
Matchday 10 | ||
Second round | Semi-finals | 10–18 November 2025 |
Final |
Teams were drawn into nine groups of six teams and will play home-and-away round robin matches from November 2023 to October 2025. The winners of each group will qualify directly to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the four best group runners-up will advance to a play-off to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
The draw was held on 13 July 2023 at 15:00 GMT (UTC±0) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.[4][5] All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification, however Eritrea withdrew before matches began.[6][7]
The draw pots were announced on 30 June (numbers in parentheses indicate FIFA Men's World Ranking at the time of the draw):[8][9]
Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
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Pot 4 | Pot 5 | Pot 6 |
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Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Egypt | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 10 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Oct '25 | 2–1 | Mar | Sep | 6–0 | |
2 | Guinea-Bissau | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 | Possible second round | 1–1 | — | Mar | Sep | 0–0 | Sep | |
3 | Burkina Faso | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 5 | Sep | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | Oct '25 | Mar | ||
4 | Sierra Leone | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 5 | 0–2 | Mar | Oct '25 | — | Sep | 2–1 | ||
5 | Ethiopia | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 3 | Mar | Oct '25 | 0–3 | 0–0 | — | Mar | ||
6 | Djibouti | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 1 | Oct '25 | 0–1 | Sep | Oct '25 | 1–1 | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sudan | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 10 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Mar | 1–0 | 1–1 | Mar | Oct '25 | |
2 | Senegal | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | Possible second round | Sep | — | 1–1 | Mar | 4–0 | Oct '25 | |
3 | DR Congo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | Oct '25 | Sep | — | 1–0 | Mar | 2–0 | ||
4 | Togo | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | Sep | 0–0 | Oct '25 | — | 1–1 | Mar | ||
5 | South Sudan | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 2 | 0–3 | Oct '25 | Sep | Oct '25 | — | 0–0 | ||
6 | Mauritania | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | Mar | Sep | Sep | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rwanda | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 2–0 | Oct '25 | Mar | Mar | 0–0 | |
2 | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | Possible second round | Oct '25 | — | 2–1 | Mar | Sep | 3–1 | |
3 | Benin | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | 1–0 | Mar | — | Sep | 2–1 | Sep | ||
4 | Lesotho | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | 0–1 | Sep | 0–0 | — | Oct '25 | Oct '25 | ||
5 | Nigeria | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | Sep | 1–1 | Oct '25 | 1–1 | — | Mar | ||
6 | Zimbabwe | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 2 | Sep | Oct '25 | Mar | 0–2 | 1–1 | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cameroon | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 8 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Mar | 4–1 | Oct '25 | 3–0 | Sep | |
2 | Libya | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | Possible second round | 1–1 | — | Oct '25 | Mar | 2–1 | Sep | |
3 | Cape Verde | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | Sep | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | Mar | Oct '25 | ||
4 | Angola | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 6 | 1–1 | Sep | Mar | — | Sep | 1–0 | ||
5 | Mauritius | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | Oct '25 | Oct '25 | Sep | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | ||
6 | Eswatini | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | Mar | 0–1 | 0–2 | Oct '25 | Mar | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Morocco | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 9 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Sep | Mar | 2–1 | Oct '25 | ||
2 | Niger | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | Possible second round | Mar | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | Oct '25 | ||
3 | Tanzania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0–2 | Sep | — | Oct '25 | Mar | |||
4 | Zambia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 | Sep | Oct '25 | 0–1 | — | 4–2 | |||
5 | Congo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 0 | 0–6 | 0–3[lower-alpha 1] | Sep | Mar | — | |||
6 | Eritrea[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ivory Coast | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 10 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 1–0 | Sep | Oct '25 | Mar | 9–0 | |
2 | Gabon | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | Possible second round | Sep | — | Oct '25 | 2–1 | 3–2 | Mar | |
3 | Burundi | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 7 | Mar | 1–2 | — | Oct '25 | 3–2 | Mar | ||
4 | Kenya | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 5 | 0–0 | Mar | 1–1 | — | Sep | Sep | ||
5 | Gambia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0–2 | Oct '25 | Sep | Mar | — | 5–1 | ||
6 | Seychelles | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 22 | −20 | 0 | Oct '25 | Sep | 1–3 | 0–5 | Oct '25 | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Algeria | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Mar | Sep | 1–2 | Oct '25 | 3–1 | |
2 | Mozambique | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 9 | Possible second round | 0–2 | — | Sep | Oct '25 | Mar | 2–1 | |
3 | Botswana | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | Mar | 2–3 | — | 1–0 | Oct '25 | Mar | ||
4 | Guinea | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6[lower-alpha 1] | Sep | 0–1 | Oct '25 | — | 2–1 | Mar | ||
5 | Uganda | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6[lower-alpha 1] | 1–2 | Sep | 1–0 | Mar | — | Sep | ||
6 | Somalia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 0 | Oct '25 | Oct '25 | 1–3 | Sep | 0–1 | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tunisia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 10 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Oct '25 | Sep | Mar | 1–0 | 4–0 | |
2 | Namibia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | Possible second round | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | Sep | Mar | Sep | |
3 | Liberia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 | Mar | Oct '25 | — | 0–1 | 3–0[lower-alpha 1] | Mar | ||
4 | Malawi | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | 0–1 | Mar | Sep | — | Oct '25 | 3–1 | ||
5 | Equatorial Guinea | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 3 | Sep | 0–3[lower-alpha 1] | Oct '25 | 1–0 | — | Mar | ||
6 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 | Oct '25 | 0–2 | 0–1 | Oct '25 | Sep | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Comoros | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 1–0 | Oct '25 | Mar | 4–2 | Mar | |
2 | Ghana | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | Possible second round | Oct '25 | — | 1–0 | Sep | 4–3 | Mar | |
3 | Madagascar | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 | 2–1 | Mar | — | 0–0 | Sep | Sep | ||
4 | Mali | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 | Sep | 1–2 | Oct '25 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | ||
5 | Central African Republic | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 4 | Sep | Oct '25 | Mar | Mar | — | 1–0 | ||
6 | Chad | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 | 0–2 | Sep | 0–3 | Oct '25 | Oct '25 | — |
Neither CAF nor FIFA have made an official announcement on how Eritrea's withdrawal will affect the rankings of the group runners-up.
Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | F | Gabon | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | Second round |
2 | I | Ghana | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | |
3 | G | Mozambique | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 9 | |
4 | H | Namibia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | |
5 | B | Senegal | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | |
6 | C | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | |
7 | D | Libya | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | |
8 | E | Niger | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | |
9 | A | Guinea-Bissau | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 |
The four best group runners-up will be drawn into play-offs to determine the sole CAF representative at the inter-confederation play-offs. A total of three matches will be played.
Semi-finals | Final | |||||
November 2025 | ||||||
November 2025 | ||||||
November 2025 | ||||||
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The play-off winner will join one team each from AFC, CONMEBOL and OFC and two from CONCACAF in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men's World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[12]
There have been 243 goals scored in 103 matches, for an average of 2.36 goals per match (as of 11 June 2024).
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
Below are full goalscorer lists for each group:
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