2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:07:52 PM Wikipedia source
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) was the African section of the qualification tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. A total of nine slots in the final tournament and one inter-confederation play-off slot were reserved for Confederation of African Football (CAF) teams.
Infobox
Dates
15 November 2023 – 16 November 2025
Teams
53 (from 1 confederation)
Matches played
259
Goals scored
648 (2 per match)
Attendance
1,647,509 (6,361 per match)
Top scorer
Mohamed Amoura (10 goals)
Tables
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification · Schedule
First round
First round
Round
First round
Matchday
Matchday 1
Dates
15–18 November 2023
Matchday 2
Matchday 2
Round
Matchday 2
Matchday
19–21 November 2023
Matchday 3
Matchday 3
Round
Matchday 3
Matchday
5–8 June 2024
Matchday 4
Matchday 4
Round
Matchday 4
Matchday
9–11 June 2024
Matchday 5
Matchday 5
Round
Matchday 5
Matchday
19–22 March 2025
Matchday 6
Matchday 6
Round
Matchday 6
Matchday
23–25 March 2025
Matchday 7
Matchday 7
Round
Matchday 7
Matchday
3–6 September 2025
Matchday 8
Matchday 8
Round
Matchday 8
Matchday
7–9 September 2025
Matchday 9
Matchday 9
Round
Matchday 9
Matchday
8–10 October 2025
Matchday 10
Matchday 10
Round
Matchday 10
Matchday
12–14 October 2025
Second round
Second round
Round
Second round
Matchday
Semi-finals
Dates
13 November 2025
Final
Final
Round
Final
Matchday
16 November 2025
| 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 | 19–22 March 2025 | |
| Matchday 6 | 23–25 March 2025 | |
| Matchday 7 | 3–6 September 2025 | |
| Matchday 8 | 7–9 September 2025 | |
| Matchday 9 | 8–10 October 2025 | |
| Matchday 10 | 12–14 October 2025 | |
| Second round | Semi-finals | 13 November 2025 |
| Final | 16 November 2025 |
CAF qualification first round draw pots · First round › Draw
Morocco (13)
Senegal (18)
Tunisia (31)
Algeria (33)
Egypt (34)
Nigeria (39)
Cameroon (43)
Mali (50)
Ivory Coast (51)
Morocco (13)
Senegal (18)
Tunisia (31)
Algeria (33)
Egypt (34)
Nigeria (39)
Cameroon (43)
Mali (50)
Ivory Coast (51)
Pot 1
Morocco (13)
Senegal (18)
Tunisia (31)
Algeria (33)
Egypt (34)
Nigeria (39)
Cameroon (43)
Mali (50)
Ivory Coast (51)
Pot 2
Burkina Faso (55)
Ghana (59)
South Africa (62)
Cape Verde (66)
DR Congo (69)
Guinea (80)
Zambia (84)
Gabon (85)
Equatorial Guinea (91)
Pot 3
Uganda (92)
Benin (93)
Mauritania (99)
Kenya (105)
Congo (106)
Madagascar (107)
Guinea-Bissau (111)
Namibia (112)
Angola (114)
Pot 4
Pot 4
Pot 1
Pot 4
Pot 2
Pot 5
Pot 3
Pot 6
Mozambique (117)
Gambia (119)
Sierra Leone (120)
Togo (122)
Tanzania (123)
Zimbabwe (124)
Central African Republic (125)
Malawi (126)
Libya (127)
Mozambique (117)
Gambia (119)
Sierra Leone (120)
Togo (122)
Tanzania (123)
Zimbabwe (124)
Central African Republic (125)
Malawi (126)
Libya (127)
Pot 1
Mozambique (117)
Gambia (119)
Sierra Leone (120)
Togo (122)
Tanzania (123)
Zimbabwe (124)
Central African Republic (125)
Malawi (126)
Libya (127)
Pot 2
Niger (128)
Comoros (130)
Sudan (131)
Rwanda (139)
Burundi (140)
Ethiopia (143)
Eswatini (146)
Botswana (147)
Liberia (148)
Pot 3
Lesotho (152)
South Sudan (168)
Mauritius (180)
Chad (181)
São Tomé and Príncipe (187)
Djibouti (193)
Seychelles (196)
Eritrea (198) (W)
Somalia (199)
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
| Morocco (13) Senegal (18) Tunisia (31) Algeria (33) Egypt (34) Nigeria (39) Cameroon (43) Mali (50) Ivory Coast (51) | Burkina Faso (55) Ghana (59) South Africa (62) Cape Verde (66) DR Congo (69) Guinea (80) Zambia (84) Gabon (85) Equatorial Guinea (91) | Uganda (92) Benin (93) Mauritania (99) Kenya (105) Congo (106) Madagascar (107) Guinea-Bissau (111) Namibia (112) Angola (114) |
| Pot 4 | Pot 5 | Pot 6 |
| Mozambique (117) Gambia (119) Sierra Leone (120) Togo (122) Tanzania (123) Zimbabwe (124) Central African Republic (125) Malawi (126) Libya (127) | Niger (128) Comoros (130) Sudan (131) Rwanda (139) Burundi (140) Ethiopia (143) Eswatini (146) Botswana (147) Liberia (148) | Lesotho (152) South Sudan (168) Mauritius (180) Chad (181) São Tomé and Príncipe (187) Djibouti (193) Seychelles (196) Eritrea (198) (W) Somalia (199) |
· First round › Groups › Group A
1
1
Pos
1
Team
Egypt
Pld
10
W
8
D
2
L
0
GF
20
GA
2
GD
+18
Pts
26
Qualification
2026 FIFA World Cup
2
2
Pos
2
Team
Burkina Faso
Pld
10
W
6
D
3
L
1
GF
23
GA
8
GD
+15
Pts
21
3
3
Pos
3
Team
Sierra Leone
Pld
10
W
4
D
3
L
3
GF
12
GA
10
GD
+2
Pts
15
Col 12
0–2
4
4
Pos
4
Team
Guinea-Bissau
Pld
10
W
2
D
4
L
4
GF
8
GA
10
GD
−2
Pts
10
Col 12
1–1
5
5
Pos
5
Team
Ethiopia
Pld
10
W
2
D
3
L
5
GF
9
GA
14
GD
−5
Pts
9
Col 12
0–2
6
6
Pos
6
Team
Djibouti
Pld
10
W
0
D
1
L
9
GF
5
GA
33
GD
−28
Pts
1
Col 12
0–3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
| 1 | Egypt | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 26 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2 | Burkina Faso | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 8 | +15 | 21 | ||
| 3 | Sierra Leone | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 15 | 0–2 | |
| 4 | Guinea-Bissau | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 10 | 1–1 | |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 9 | 0–2 | |
| 6 | Djibouti | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 33 | −28 | 1 | 0–3 |
· First round › Groups › Group B
1
1
Pos
1
Team
Senegal
Pld
10
W
7
D
3
L
0
GF
22
GA
3
GD
+19
Pts
24
Qualification
2026 FIFA World Cup
2
2
Pos
2
Team
DR Congo
Pld
10
W
7
D
1
L
2
GF
15
GA
6
GD
+9
Pts
22
Qualification
Second round
3
3
Pos
3
Team
Sudan
Pld
10
W
3
D
4
L
3
GF
8
GA
6
GD
+2
Pts
13
4
4
Pos
4
Team
Togo
Pld
10
W
1
D
5
L
4
GF
5
GA
10
GD
−5
Pts
8
Col 12
0–0
5
5
Pos
5
Team
Mauritania
Pld
10
W
1
D
4
L
5
GF
4
GA
13
GD
−9
Pts
7
Col 12
0–1
6
6
Pos
6
Team
South Sudan
Pld
10
W
0
D
5
L
5
GF
3
GA
19
GD
−16
Pts
5
Col 12
0–5
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
| 1 | Senegal | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 3 | +19 | 24 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2 | DR Congo | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 22 | Second round | |
| 3 | Sudan | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 13 | ||
| 4 | Togo | 10 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 8 | 0–0 | |
| 5 | Mauritania | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 7 | 0–1 | |
| 6 | South Sudan | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 5 | 0–5 |
· First round › Groups › Group C
1
1
Pos
1
Team
South Africa
Pld
10
W
5
D
3
L
2
GF
15
GA
9
GD
+6
Pts
18
Qualification
2026 FIFA World Cup
2
2
Pos
2
Team
Nigeria
Pld
10
W
4
D
5
L
1
GF
15
GA
8
GD
+7
Pts
17
Qualification
Second round
3
3
Pos
3
Team
Benin
Pld
10
W
5
D
2
L
3
GF
12
GA
11
GD
+1
Pts
17
4
4
Pos
4
Team
Lesotho
Pld
10
W
3
D
3
L
4
GF
9
GA
12
GD
−3
Pts
12
Col 12
0–3
5
5
Pos
5
Team
Rwanda
Pld
10
W
3
D
2
L
5
GF
5
GA
9
GD
−4
Pts
11
Col 12
2–0
6
6
Pos
6
Team
Zimbabwe
Pld
10
W
0
D
5
L
5
GF
5
GA
12
GD
−7
Pts
5
Col 12
0–0
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
| 1 | South Africa | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 18 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2 | Nigeria | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 17 | Second round | |
| 3 | Benin | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 17 | ||
| 4 | Lesotho | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 12 | 0–3 | |
| 5 | Rwanda | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 11 | 2–0 | |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 5 | 0–0 |
References
- Teams in bold qualified directly for the World Cup. Teams in italics advanced to the second round.
- The South Africa v Lesotho match, which originally finished as a 2–0 win for South Africa, was later awarded as a 3–0 wi
- Congo were suspended on 6 February 2025 due to government interference in Congolese Football Federation operations. No a
- Niger were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit after Congo objected to their regular stadium being deemed to not meet hosti
- Eritrea withdrew from qualification after the draw due to concerns that players would seek political asylum if allowed t
- Equatorial Guinea forfeited two matches after they fielded an ineligible player, Emilio Nsue. The original results were
- The match between Malawi and Equatorial Guinea on 9 October was cancelled after Equatorial Guinea's players went on stri
- Italic indicates hosts for that year.
- "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained"https://web.archive.org/web/20150530211217/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=5/news=current-allocation-of-fifa-world-cuptm-confederation-slots-maintained-2610611.html
- cafonlinehttps://www.cafonline.com/press-release/news/caf-executive-committee-approves-fifa-world-cup-2026-qualifiers-calendar-and-ann
- cafonlinehttps://www.cafonline.com/news/caf-reveals-new-format-for-2026-fifa-world-cup-qualifiers
- Pan-Africa Footballhttps://web.archive.org/web/20231001141031/https://panafricafootball.com/learn-all-about-2026-fifa-world-cup-qualifying-in-the-caf-region-and-the-seeds/
- cafonlinehttps://www.cafonline.com/press-release/news/fifa-world-cup-2026tm-african-qualifiers-official-draw-on-13-july
- Dehai Newshttp://dehai.org/dehai/dehai-news/494254
- "Statement on FIFA World Cup 2026 preliminary competition"https://www.cafonline.com/news/statement-on-fifa-world-cup-2026-preliminary-competition/
- Daily Posthttps://dailypost.ng/2023/06/30/fifa-puts-super-eagles-in-pot-1-as-race-to-2026-world-cup-begins/
- "FIFA World Cup 2026: African preliminary qualifiers draw officially conducted"https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-african-preliminary-qualifiers-draw-officially-conducted
- "FIFA Disciplinary Committee sanctions South African Football Association"https://inside.fifa.com/legal/judicial-bodies/news/disciplinary-committee-sanctions-south-african-football-association
- FIFA Circularhttps://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/49a18836a3532246/original/Circular-1922_Suspension-of-the-Congolese-Football-Association-FECOFOOT.pdf
- "FIFA suspends Congo Republic and Pakistan"https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/fifa-suspends-congo-republic-pakistan-2025-02-07