# 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

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.

## 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.
* Group stage: Nine groups of six teams will play in a home-and-away round-robin matches. Group winners will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
* Play-off stage: The four best group runners-up will be drawn into play-offs to determine the CAF representative at the inter-confederation play-offs.

## Schedule

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification :
| Round | Matchday | Dates |
| First round | Matchday 1 | 15–18 November 2023 |
| First round | Matchday 2 | 19–21 November 2023 |
| First round | Matchday 3 | 5–8 June 2024 |
| First round | Matchday 4 | 9–11 June 2024 |
| First round | Matchday 5 | 19–22 March 2025 |
| First round | Matchday 6 | 23–25 March 2025 |
| First round | Matchday 7 | 1–9 September 2025 |
| First round | Matchday 8 | 1–9 September 2025 |
| First round | Matchday 9 | 6–14 October 2025 |
| First round | Matchday 10 | 6–14 October 2025 |
| Second round | Semi-finals | 10–18 November 2025 |
| Second round | Final | 10–18 November 2025 |

## First round

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.

### Draw

The draw was held on 13 July 2023 at 15:00 GMT (UTC±0) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification, however Eritrea withdrew before matches began.
The draw pots were announced on 30 June (numbers in parentheses indicate FIFA Men's World Ranking at the time of the draw):
CAF qualification first round draw pots :
| 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) Somalia (199) |

### Groups
#### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Egypt | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 10 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Oct | 2–1 | 25 Mar | Sep | 6–0 |
| 2 | Guinea-Bissau | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 | Possible second round | 1–1 | — | 24 Mar | Sep | 0–0 | Sep |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 5 | | Sep | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | Oct | 21 Mar |
| 4 | Sierra Leone | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 5 | | 0–2 | 20 Mar | Oct | — | Sep | 2–1 |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 3 | | 21 Mar | Oct | 0–3 | 0–0 | — | 24 Mar |
| 6 | Djibouti | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 1 | | Oct | 0–1 | Sep | Oct | 1–1 | — |

#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Sudan | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 10 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 22 Mar | 1–0 | 1–1 | 25 Mar | Oct |
| 2 | Senegal | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | Possible second round | Sep | — | 1–1 | 25 Mar | 4–0 | Oct |
| 3 | DR Congo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | | Oct | Sep | — | 1–0 | 21 Mar | 2–0 |
| 4 | Togo | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | | Sep | 0–0 | Oct | — | 1–1 | 22 Mar |
| 5 | South Sudan | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 2 | | 0–3 | Oct | Sep | Oct | — | 0–0 |
| 6 | Mauritania | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 1 | | 0–2 | 0–1 | 25 Mar | Sep | Sep | — |

#### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | 21 Mar | 0–0 |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | Possible second round | Oct | — | 2–1 | 21 Mar | Sep | 3–1 |
| 3 | Benin | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | | 1–0 | 25 Mar | — | Sep | 2–1 | Sep |
| 4 | Lesotho | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | | 0–1 | Sep | 0–0 | — | Oct | Oct |
| 5 | Nigeria | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | | Sep | 1–1 | Oct | 1–1 | — | 25 Mar |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 2 | | Sep | Oct | 20 Mar | 0–2 | 1–1 | — |

#### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Cameroon | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 9 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 25 Mar | 4–1 | Oct | 3–0 | Sep |
| 2 | Libya | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | Possible second round | 1–1 | — | Oct | 20 Mar | 2–1 | Sep |
| 3 | Cape Verde | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | | Sep | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 20 Mar | Oct |
| 4 | Angola | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 6 | | 1–1 | Sep | 25 Mar | — | Sep | 1–0 |
| 5 | Mauritius | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | | Oct | Oct | Sep | 0–0 | — | 2–1 |
| 6 | Eswatini | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | Oct | 23 Mar | — |

#### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 9 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Sep | 25 Mar | 2–1 | Canc. | Canc. |
| 2 | Niger | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | Possible second round | 21 Mar | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | Canc. | Canc. |
| 3 | Tanzania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | | 0–2 | Sep | — | Oct | Canc. | Canc. |
| 4 | Zambia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 | | Sep | Oct | 0–1 | — | 4–2 | Canc. |
| 5 | Congo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 0 | Suspended | 0–6 | 0–3 | Canc. | Canc. | — | Canc. |
| 6 | Eritrea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew | Canc. | Canc. | Canc. | Canc. | Canc. | — |
* ↑ Congo were suspended on 6 February 2025 due to government interference in FECOFOOT operations. While no announcement regarding their status in the tournament has been released, CAF have cancelled their remaining matches.
* ↑ Niger were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit after Congo refused to travel to DR Congo for the match, after their regular stadium was deemed to not meet hosting requirements.
* ↑ Eritrea withdrew from qualification prior to playing any matches, reportedly due to concerns that players would seek political asylum if allowed to travel overseas.

#### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | 24 Mar | 9–0 |
| 2 | Gabon | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | Possible second round | Sep | — | Oct | 2–1 | 3–2 | 20 Mar |
| 3 | Burundi | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 7 | | 21 Mar | 1–2 | — | Oct | 3–2 | 25 Mar |
| 4 | Kenya | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 5 | | 0–0 | 23 Mar | 1–1 | — | Sep | Sep |
| 5 | Gambia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 3 | | 0–2 | Oct | Sep | 20 Mar | — | 5–1 |
| 6 | Seychelles | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 22 | −20 | 0 | | Oct | Sep | 1–3 | 0–5 | Oct | — |

#### Group G

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Algeria | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 25 Mar | Sep | 1–2 | Oct | 3–1 |
| 2 | Mozambique | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 9 | Possible second round | 0–2 | — | Sep | Oct | 20 Mar | 2–1 |
| 3 | Botswana | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | | 21 Mar | 2–3 | — | 1–0 | Oct | 25 Mar |
| 4 | Guinea | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | | Sep | 0–1 | Oct | — | 2–1 | 21 Mar |
| 5 | Uganda | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | | 1–2 | Sep | 1–0 | 25 Mar | — | Sep |
| 6 | Somalia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 0 | | Oct | Oct | 1–3 | Sep | 0–1 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Guinea 3, Uganda 0.

#### Group H

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Tunisia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 13 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | Oct | Sep | 24 Mar | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| 2 | Namibia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | Possible second round | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | Sep | 24 Mar | Sep |
| 3 | Liberia | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | | 0–1 | Oct | — | 0–1 | 3–0 | 24 Mar |
| 4 | Malawi | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | | 0–1 | 20 Mar | Sep | — | Oct | 3–1 |
| 5 | Equatorial Guinea | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 3 | | Sep | 0–3 | Oct | 1–0 | — | 21 Mar |
| 6 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 | | Oct | 0–2 | 0–1 | Oct | Sep | — |
* 1 2 Equatorial Guinea forfeited two matches for fielding an ineligible player, Emilio Nsue. The original results were Equatorial Guinea 1–0 Namibia and Liberia 0–1 Equatorial Guinea.

#### Group I

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Madagascar | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 10 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 2–1 | 24 Mar | 0–0 | Sep | Sep |
| 2 | Comoros | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | Possible second round | Oct | — | 1–0 | 20 Mar | 4–2 | 25 Mar |
| 3 | Ghana | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | | 1–0 | Oct | — | Sep | 4–3 | 21 Mar |
| 4 | Mali | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 | | Oct | Sep | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| 5 | Central African Republic | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 4 | | 1–4 | Sep | Oct | 24 Mar | — | 1–0 |
| 6 | Chad | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 | | 0–3 | 0–2 | Sep | Oct | Oct | — |

### Ranking of runners-up

Neither CAF nor FIFA have made an official announcement on how Eritrea's withdrawal or Congo's suspension will affect the rankings of the group runners-up.
| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | I | Comoros | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | Second round |
| 2 | F | Gabon | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | Second round |
| 3 | G | Mozambique | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 9 | Second round |
| 4 | B | Senegal | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | Second round |
| 5 | H | Namibia | 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 | |

## Second round

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.

### Bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| November 2025 (2025-11) | November 2025 (2025-11) |
| | | November 2025 (2025-11) | November 2025 (2025-11) |
| November 2025 (2025-11) | November 2025 (2025-11) | | |

### Final
## 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.

## Top goalscorers

There have been 249 goals scored in 106 matches, for an average of 2.35 goals per match (as of 19 March 2025).
5 goals
* Mohamed Salah
* Trézéguet
4 goals
* Jordan Ayew
* Rayan Raveloson
3 goals
* Sudi Abdallah
* Louis Mafouta
* Myziane Maolida
* Denis Bouanga
* Seko Fofana
* Kamory Doumbia
* Ayoub El Kaabi
* Patson Daka
Below are full goalscorer lists for each group:
* Group A
* Group B
* Group C
* Group D
* Group E
* Group F
* Group G
* Group H
* Group I