The qualification process for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America is underway for African teams. The tournament will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. CAF (Confederation of Africa Football) has been allocated nine slots in the main event, along with an additional slot for an inter-confederation play-off
FIFA World Cup 2026 CAF Qualifiers Format
The teams are distributed into nine groups, each comprising six teams. The victor of each group secures a direct qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026, while the top four runners-up from the groups engage in playoffs. These playoffs will determine the CAF representative for the inter-confederation playoffs.
During the group stage, teams in each of the nine groups will compete in home-and-away round-robin matches. The group winners will secure their places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Following this, the play-off stage will involve the four best group runners-up, who will be drawn into play-offs to ascertain the CAF representative for the inter-confederation play-offs.
Here’s a breakdown of the selection process in each round:
Round 1 – Group Formation: Responding to the increased direct qualification slots, the CAF Executive Committee announces a revised qualification format. Teams are drawn into nine groups, each comprising six teams.
Group Stage – Home-and-Away Battles: Teams within each group engage in home-and-away round-robin matches. The primary objective is to determine the group winners who will secure direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Play-off Stage – Determining the CAF Representative: The four best group runners-up proceed to the play-offs to decide the CAF representative for the inter-confederation play-offs. The outcome of these play-offs will determine which team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.
FIFA World Cup 2026 CAF Qualifiers Groups
Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
Group B: Senegal, Sudan, DR Congo, Togo, Mauritania, South Sudan
Group C: Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Benin
Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Libya, Angola, Mauritius, Eswatini
Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Niger, Tanzania, Congo, Eritrea
Group F: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, Burundi, Gambia, Seychelles
Group G: Algeria, Botswana, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Somalia
Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe
Group I: Comoros, Mali, Madagascar, Ghana, Central African Republic, Chad
FIFA World Cup 2026 CAF Qualifiers Schedule
First-Round Fixtures and Results
Matchday 1 (15-18 November, 2023)
Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Namibia (Group H)
Rwanda 0-0 Zimbabwe (Group C)
Congo DR 2-0 Mauritania (Group C)
Ethiopia 0-0 Sierra Leone (Group A)
Botswana 2-3 Mozambique (Group G)
Burundi 3-2 The Gambia (Group F)
Gabon 2-1 Kenya (Group F)
Nigeria 1-1 Lesotho (Group C)
Algeria 3-1 Somalia (Group G)
Cape Verde 0-0 Angola (Group D)
Egypt 6-0 Djibouti (Group A)
Sudan 1-1 Togo (Group B)
Guinea 2-1 Uganda (Group G)
Eswatini 0-1 Libya (Group D)
Liberia 0-1 Malawi (Group H)
Ghana 1-0 Madagascar (Group I)
Comoros 4-2 Central African Republic (Group I)
Zambia 4-2 Congo (Group E)
Côte d’Ivoire 9-0 Seychelles (Group F)
Mali 3-1 Chad (Group I)
Tunisia 4-0 Sao Tome e Principe (Group H)
Cameroon 3-0 Mauritius (Group D)
Burkina Faso 1-1 Guinea Bissau (Group A)
South Africa 2-1 Benin (Group C)
Niger 0-1 Tanzania (Group E)
Senegal 4-0 South Sudan (Group B)
Matchday 2 (19-21 November, 2023)
- Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria (Group C)
- Mozambique 0-2 Algeria (Group G)
- Burundi 1-2 Gabon (Group F)
- Sierra Leone 0-2 Egypt (Group A)
- Sudan 1-0 Congo DR (Group B)
- Djibouti 0-1 Guinea Bissau (Group A)
- Liberia 0-1 Equatorial Guinea (Group H)
- Seychelles 0-5 Kenya (Group F)
- The Gambia 0-2 Côte d’Ivoire (Group F)
- Mali 1-1 Central African Republic (Group I)
- Chad 0-3 Madagascar (Group I)
- Somalia 0-1 Uganda (Group G)
- Botswana 1-0 Guinea (Group G)
- Malawi 0-1 Tunisia (Group H)
- Eswatini 0-2 Cape Verde (Group D)
- Rwanda 2-0 South Africa (Group C)
- Lesotho 0-0 Benin (Group C)
- South Sudan 0-0 Mauritania (Group B)
- Togo 0-0 Senegal (Group B)
- Sao Tome e Principe 0-2 Namibia (Group H)
- Libya 1-1 Cameroon (Group D)
- Comoros 1-0 Ghana (Group I)
- Niger 2-1 Zambia (Group E)
- Mauritius 0-0 Angola (Group D)
- Ethiopia 0-3 Burkina Faso (Group A)
- Tanzania 0-2 Morocco (Group E)
Matchday 3 (3-11 June, 2024)
Group A:
- Sierra Leone vs Djibouti
- Guinea Bissau vs Ethiopia
- Egypt vs Burkina Faso
Group B:
- Togo vs South Sudan
- Mauritania vs Sudan
- Senegal vs Congo DR
Group C:
- Zimbabwe vs Lesotho
- Benin vs Rwanda
- Nigeria vs South Africa
Group D:
- Libya vs Mauritius
- Angola vs Eswatini
- Cameroon vs Cape Verde
Group E:
- Congo vs Niger
- Morocco vs Zambia
Group F:
- The Gambia vs Seychelles
- Kenya vs Burundi
- Côte d’Ivoire vs Gabon
Group G:
- Mozambique vs Somalia
- Uganda vs Botswana
- Algeria vs Guinea
Group H:
- Malawi vs Sao Tome e Principe
- Namibia vs Liberia
- Tunisia vs Equatorial Guinea
Group I:
- Central African Republic vs Chad
- Madagascar vs Comoros
- Mali vs Ghana
Second & Third Round
In the next stage, the top four runners-up from the groups will be selected for play-offs in November 2025 to decide the exclusive CAF representative for the inter-confederation play-offs. A series of three matches will be contested to determine the final representative.
The victorious team from the play-offs will unite with representatives from AFC, CONMEBOL, OFC, and two from CONCACAF for the inter-confederation play-offs. These teams will be ordered based on the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, setting the stage for four of the lowest-ranked teams to face off in two decisive single-elimination matches. The winners will progress to confront the two highest-ranked teams in another pair of single-elimination matches. The ultimate triumph in these matches will secure qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 .
FIFA World Cup 2026 CAF Qualifiers Table / Standings
Group A
- Egypt: 2-0-0, +8 GD, 6 points
- Burkina Faso: 1-1-0, +3 GD, 4 points
- Guinea-Bissau: 1-1-0, +1 GD, 4 points
- Sierra Leone: 0-1-1, -2 GD, 1 point
- Ethiopia: 0-1-1, -3 GD, 1 point
- Djibouti: 0-0-2, -7 GD, 0 points
Group B
- Senegal: 1-1-0, +4 GD, 4 points
- Sudan: 1-1-0, +1 GD, 4 points
- Democratic Republic of Congo: 1-0-1, +1 GD, 3 points
- Togo: 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 points
- Mauritania: 0-1-1, -2 GD, 1 point
- South Sudan: 0-1-1, -4 GD, 1 point
Group C
- Rwanda: 1-1-0, +2 GD, 4 points
- South Africa: 1-0-1, -1 GD, 3 points
- Nigeria: 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 points
- Zimbabwe: 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 points
- Lesotho: 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 points
- Benin: 0-1-1, -1 GD, 1 point
Group D
- Cameroon: 1-1-0, +3 GD, 4 points
- Cape Verde: 1-1-0, +2 GD, 4 points
- Libya: 1-1-0, +1 GD, 4 points
- Angola: 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 points
- Mauritius: 0-1-1, -3 GD, 1 point
- Eswatini: 0-0-2, -3 GD, 0 points
Group E
- Morocco: 1-0-0, +2 GD, 3 points
- Zambia: 1-0-1, +1 GD, 3 points
- Niger: 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 points
- Tanzania: 1-0-1, -1 GD, 3 points
- Republic of Congo: 0-0-1, -2 GD, 0 points (Eritrea withdrew)
Group F
- Ivory Coast: 2-0-0, +11 GD, 6 points
- Gabon: 2-0-0, +2 GD, 6 points
- Kenya: 1-0-1, +4 GD, 3 points
- Burundi: 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 points
- Gambia: 0-0-2, -3 GD, 0 points
- Seychelles: 0-0-2, -14 GD, 0 points
Group G
- Algeria: 2-0-0, +4 GD, 6 points
- Botswana: 1-0-1, +1 GD, 3 points
- Guinea: 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 points
- Uganda: 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 points
- Mozambique: 1-0-1, -1 GD, 3 points
- Somalia: 0-1-1, -1 GD, 1 point
Group H
- Tunisia: 2-0-0, +5 GD, 6 points
- Equatorial Guinea: 2-0-0, +2 GD, 6 points
- Namibia: 1-0-1, +1 GD, 3 points
- Malawi: 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 points
- Liberia: 0-0-2, -2 GD, 0 points
- Sao Tome and Principe: 0-0-1, -4 GD, 0 points
Group I
- Comoros: 2-0-0, +3 GD, 6 points
- Mali: 1-1-0, +2 GD, 4 points
- Madagascar: 1-0-1, +2 GD, 3 points
- Ghana: 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 points
- Central African Republic: 0-1-1, -2 GD, 1 point
- Chad: 0-0-2, -5 GD, 0 points
