54 African nations have been drawn in 9 groups as the continent begins selection for 2026 FIFA World Cup participation.
The draws were conducted on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast during the 45th CAF General Assembly.
The world cup qualifications will see the clash of some African football rivals such as the Super Eagles of Nigeria versus the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
Cameroon, drawn in group D will face the notorious Cape Verde after the two nations have met in 9 occasions with Cameroon having favorite stats between the two countries.
African Champions, Senegal, drawn in group B will face DR Congo, Togo, Mauritania, Sudan and South Sudan.
2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalists, Morocco, leads group E alongside Zambia, Tanzania, Congo Brazzaville, Niger and Eritrea.
9 African countries will automatically qualify thanks to FIFA’s increase in African slots in 2017 from 5 to 10.
The winners of the nine groups will grab a ticket for 2026 World Cup that will be jointly hosted by US, Canada and Mexico.
A tenth African country to join the other 9 will be selected after a playoff competition comprising 4 best runners up from the nine groups.
Below is the full draw
Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
Group B: Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Mauritania, Sudan and Southern Sudan
Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin Republic, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho
Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini and Mauritius
Group E: Morroco, Zambia, Tanzania, Congo Brazzaville, Niger and Eritrea.
Group F: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, The Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles.
Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia
Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome e Principe
Group I: Ghana, Mali, Madagascar, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Chad.
