2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) will be 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]

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Tournament details
Dates13 November 2023 – 18 November 2025
Teams54 (from 1 confederation)
Qualification for championships (CAF)
FIFA World Cup
Africa Cup of Nations

Format

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]

Schedule
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
RoundMatchdayMatchesDates
First roundMatchday 11 v 6, 2 v 3, 5 v 413–21 November 2023
Matchday 24 v 1, 5 v 2, 6 v 3
Matchday 31 v 2, 3 v 5, 4 v 63–11 June 2024
Matchday 42 v 4, 3 v 1, 6 v 5
Matchday 52 v 6, 4 v 3, 5 v 117–25 March 2025
Matchday 61 v 4, 3 v 2, 5 v 6
Matchday 71 v 5, 3 v 4, 6 v 21–9 September 2025
Matchday 82 v 1, 3 v 6, 4 v 5
Matchday 94 v 2, 5 v 3, 6 v 16–14 October 2025
Matchday 101 v 3, 2 v 5, 6 v 4
Second roundSemi-finals10–18 November 2025
Final

First round

Teams have been 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.

Draw

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 have entered qualification.

The draw pots were announced on 30 June (numbers in parentheses indicate FIFA Men's World Ranking at the time of the draw):[6][7]

CAF qualification first round draw pots
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
Pot 4 Pot 5 Pot 6

Group A
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Egypt Burkina Faso Guinea-Bissau Sierra Leone Ethiopia Djibouti
1  Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  Burkina Faso 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Guinea-Bissau 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Sierra Leone 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Ethiopia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  Djibouti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group B
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Senegal Democratic Republic of the Congo Mauritania Togo Sudan South Sudan
1  Senegal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  DR Congo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Mauritania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Togo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Sudan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  South Sudan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group C
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Nigeria South Africa Benin Zimbabwe Rwanda Lesotho
1  Nigeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Benin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Zimbabwe 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Rwanda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  Lesotho 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group D
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Cameroon Cape Verde Angola Libya Eswatini Mauritius
1  Cameroon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  Cape Verde 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Angola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Libya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Eswatini 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  Mauritius 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group E
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Morocco Zambia Republic of the Congo Tanzania Niger Eritrea
1  Morocco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  Zambia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Congo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Tanzania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Niger 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  Eritrea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group F
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Ivory Coast Gabon Kenya The Gambia Burundi Seychelles
1  Ivory Coast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  Gabon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Kenya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Gambia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Burundi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  Seychelles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group G
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Algeria Guinea Uganda Mozambique Botswana Somalia
1  Algeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Uganda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Mozambique 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Botswana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  Somalia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group H
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Tunisia Equatorial Guinea Namibia Malawi Liberia São Tomé and Príncipe
1  Tunisia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  Equatorial Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Namibia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Malawi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Liberia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  São Tomé and Príncipe 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Group I
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group I
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Mali Ghana Madagascar Central African Republic Comoros Chad
1  Mali 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 FIFA World Cup — Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25 Sep '25 Nov
2  Ghana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible play-off stage Sep '25 — Nov Jun '24 Oct '25 Mar '25
3  Madagascar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jun '24 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24 Sep '25
4  Central African Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov Oct '25 Mar '25 — Sep '25 Jun '24
5  Comoros 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '25 Nov Oct '25 Nov — Mar '25
6  Chad 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct '25 Sep '25 Nov Oct '25 Jun '24 —
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Ranking of second-placed teams
Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A  Burkina Faso 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Play-off stage
2 B  DR Congo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C  South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 D  Cape Verde 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 E  Zambia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 F  Gabon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 G  Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 H  Equatorial Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 I  Ghana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: November 2023. Source: CAF

Second round

The 4 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 games will be played.

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
November 2025 (2025-11)
 
 
 
 
November 2025 (2025-11)
 
 
 
 
 
November 2025 (2025-11)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Semi-finals
v
v

Final
v

Inter-confederation play-offs
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)

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.[8]

References
  1. "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  2. "CAF Executive Committee approves FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers calendar and announces TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023 Final Draw date". cafonline. CAF. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  3. "CAF reveals new format for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers". cafonline. CAF. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  4. Olsson, Andrew (4 July 2023). "Learn all about 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying in the CAF region and the seeds". Pan-Africa Football. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  5. "FIFA World Cup 2026 African Qualifiers Official Draw on 13 July". cafonline. CAF. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  6. Inyang, Ifreke (30 June 2023). "FIFA puts Super Eagles in Pot 1 as race to 2026 World Cup begins". dailypost.ng. Daily Post. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  7. "FIFA World Cup 2026: African preliminary qualifiers draw officially conducted". CAF. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  8. "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
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