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
