African 2026 World Cup Qualifying Playoffs: Fixtures, Dates, and Format

As the 54 CAF countries battled for places in the North American competition, a record nine African teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and ten might do so.

Following an excellent qualifying tournament, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Cape Verde, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and South Africa all automatically qualified.

Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are still vying for the last CAF spot in the inter-confederation playoffs.

This is all the information you need to qualify for the African World Cup.

African (CAF) 2026 World Cup qualification format

• First round (Nov. 15, 2023 – Oct. 14 2025): 54 teams, nine groups, top team from each group qualifies for World Cup, four best runners-up go to playoff semifinals
• Second round (Nov. 10-18, 2025): Four best group runners-up stage semifinal, final. Winner plays inter-confederation playoff.

African (CAF) World Cup qualification schedule — Playoff fixtures

All kickoff times ET

Thursday, November 13 – Semifinals

Game 1: Nigeria vs Gabon — 11am ET
Game 2: Cameroon vs DR Congo — 2pm ET

Sunday, November 16 – Final

Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2 — 2pm ET (Winner qualifies for FIFA’s inter-confederation playoff for 2026 World Cup)

African (CAF) 2026 World Cup qualification — Standings/table

Group A

1. Egypt – 26 points, +18 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Burkina Faso – 21 points, +15 GD — ELIMINATED
3. Sierra Leone – 15 points, +2 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Guinea-Bissau – 10 points, -2 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Ethiopia – 9 points, -5 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Djibouti – 1 point, -28 GD — ELIMINATED

Group B

1. Senegal – 24 points, +19 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Democratic Republic of Congo – 22 points, +9 GD — ADVANCED
3. Sudan – 13 points, +2 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Togo – 8 points, -5 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Mauritania -7 points, -9 GD — ELIMINATED
6. South Sudan – 5 points, -16 GD — ELIMINATED

Group C

1. South Africa – 18 points, +6 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Nigeria – 17 points, +7 GD — ADVANCED
3. Benin – 17 points, +5 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Lesotho – 12 points, -3 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Rwanda – 11 points, -1 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Zimbabwe – 5 points, -7 GD — ELIMINATED

Group D

1. Cape Verde – 23 points, +8 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Cameroon – 19 points, +12 GD — ADVANCED
3. Libya – 16 points, +2 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Angola – 12 points, +1 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Mauritius – 6 points, -10 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Eswatini – 3 points, -13 GD — ELIMINATED

Group E

1. Morocco – 24 points, +20 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Niger – 15 points, +1 GD — ELIMINATED
3. Tanzania – 10 points, -1 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Zambia – 9 points, 0 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Republic of Congo – 1 point, -20 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Eritrea – withdrew

Group F

1. Ivory Coast – 26 points, +25 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Gabon – 25 points, +13 GD — ADVANCED
3. Gambia – 13 points, +9 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Kenya – 12 points, +4 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Burundi – 10 points, 0 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Seychelles – 0 points, -51 GD — ELIMINATED

Group G

1. Algeria – 25 points, +16 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Uganda – 18 points, +5 GD — ELIMINATED
3. Mozambique – 18 points, -3 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Guinea – 15 points, +3 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Botswana – 10 points, -4 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Somalia – 1 point, -17 GD — ELIMINATED

Group H

1. Tunisia – 28 points, +22 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Namibia – 15 points, +3 GD — ELIMINATED
3. Liberia – 15 points, +2 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Malawi – 13 points, +1 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Equatorial Guinea – 11 points, -7 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Sao Tome and Principe – 3 points, -21 GD — ELIMINATED

Group I

1. Ghana – 25 points, +17 GD — QUALIFIED
2. Madagascar – 19 points, +5 GD — ELIMINATED
3. Mali – 18 points, +11 GD — ELIMINATED
4. Comoros – 15 points, -1 GD — ELIMINATED
5. Central African Republic – 8 points, -13 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Chad – 1 point, -19 GD — ELIMINATED

African (CAF) 2026 World Cup qualification — Ranking of second-place teams (four advance to second round)

CAF have announced that matches against the sixth-place team in each group. Teams were informed in March 2025 but the information was not immediately made public.

1. Gabon – 19 points, +6 GD — ADVANCED
2. Democratic Republic of Congo – 16 points, +5 GD — ADVANCED
3. Cameroon – 15 points, +9 GD — ADVANCED
4. Nigeria – 15 points, +7 GD — ADVANCED
5. Burkina Faso – 15 points, +6 GD — ELIMINATED
6. Niger – 15 points, +1 GD — ELIMINATED
7. Madagascar – 13 points, 0 GD — ELIMINATED
8. Uganda – 12 points, +2 GD — ELIMINATED
9. Namibia – 9 points, -2 GD — ELIMINATED

* denotes qualification to at least second round, still can win group and directly qualify for World Cup
**
^ denotes nations that cannot win their group but can still qualify for second round

Premier League players in African (CAF) 2026 World Cup qualification

Algeria: Rayan Ait-Nouri (Manchester City)

Angola: Manuel Benson (Burnley)

Burkina Faso: Issa Kabore (Manchester City), Dango Ouattara (Brentford)

Cameroon: Jackson Tchatchoua (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Andre Onana (Manchester United), Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United), Carlos Baleba (Brighton)

Dem Rep of Congo: Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United), Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United), Noah Sadiki (Sunderland)

Egypt: Omar Marmoush (Man City), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Gambia: Yankuba Minteh (Brighton), Francis Gomez Tambadou (Everton)

Ghana: Mohammed Kudus (West Ham), Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth)

Guinea-Bissau: Beto (Everton)

Ivory Coast: Willy Boly (Nottingham Forest), Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest), Simon Adingra (Sunderland), Amad Diallo (Manchester United), David Datro Fofana (Chelsea), Emmanuel Agabdou (Wolves), Evann Guessand (Aston Villa)

Mali: Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur), Cheick Doucoure (Crystal Palace)

Mauritius: Gabriel Caliste (West Ham United)

Morocco: Amine Adli (Bournemouth), Chemsdine Talbi (Sunderland), Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United), Chadi Riad (Crystal Palace), Adam Aznou (Everton)

Mozambique: Reinildo Mandava (Sunderland)

Nigeria: Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham), Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Alex Iwobi (Fulham), Frank Onyeka (Brentford), Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest), Tolu Arokodare (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Senegal: Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur), Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham United), Habib Diarra (Sunderland)

South Africa: Lyle Foster (Burnley)

Tunisia: Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley)

Zimbabwe: Tawanda Chirewa (Wolves), Marley Tavaziva (Brentford), Marshall Munetsi (Wolves)

African (CAF) World Cup qualification schedule — First round results

Matchday 1

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

• Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Namibia
• Rwanda 0-0 Zimbabwe
• DR Congo 2-0 Mauritania
• Ethiopia 0-0 Sierra Leone

Thursday, November 16, 2023

• Burundi 3-2 Gambia
• Botswana 2-3 Mozambique
• Nigeria 1-1 Lesotho
• Sudan 1-1 Togo
• Gabon 2-1 Kenya
• Algeria 3-1 Somalia
• Egypt 6-0 Djibouti
• Morocco vs Eritrea — canceled
• Cape Verde 0-0 Angola

Friday, November 17, 2023

• Eswatini 0-1 Libya
• Comoros 4-2 Central African Republic
• Guinea 2-1 Uganda
• Liberia 0-1 Malawi
• Zambia 4-2 Rep. Congo
• Ghana 1-0 Madagascar
• Mali 3-1 Chad
• Burkina Faso 1-1 Guinea-Bissau
• Tunisia 4-0 Sao Tome and Principe
• Ivory Coast 9-0 Seychelles
• Cameroon 3-0 Mauritius

Saturday, November 18, 2023
South Africa 2-1 Benin
Niger 0-1 Tanzania
Senegal 4-0 South Sudan

Matchday 2

Sunday, November 19, 2023

• Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria
• Burundi 1-2 Gabon
• Mozambique 0-2 Algeria
• Sudan 1-0 DR Congo
• Sierra Leone 0-2 Egypt

Monday, November 20, 2023

• Djibouti 0-1 Guinea-Bissau
• Gambia 0-2 Ivory Coast
• Eritrea vs Rep Congo — canceled
• Liberia 0-1 Equatorial Guinea
• Seychelles 0-5 Kenya
• Mali 1-1 Central African Republic
• Chad 0-3 Madagascar

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

• Lesotho 0-0 Benin
• Ethiopia 0-3 Burkina Faso
• Somalia 0-1 Uganda
• Eswatini 0-2 Cape Verde
• Malawi 0-1 Tunisia
• Botswana 1-0 Guinea
• Rwanda 2-0 South Africa
• Togo 0-0 Senegal
• Comoros 1-0 Ghana
• South Sudan 0-0 Mauritania
• Mauritius 0-0 Angola
• Libya 1-1 Cameroon
• Sao Tome and Principe 0-2 Namibia
• Tanzania 0-2 Morocco
• Niger 2-1 Zambia

June 3, 2024

• Libya 2-1 Mauritius
• Mali 1-2 Ghana
• Kenya 1-1 Burundi
• Gambia 5-1 Seychelles
• Angola 1-0 Eswatini
• Namibia 1-1 Liberia
• Morocco 2-1 Zambia
• Senegal 1-1 DR Congo
• Benin 1-0 Rwanda
• Ivory Coast 1-0 Gabon
• Tunisia 1-0 Equatorial Guinea
• Sierra Leone 2-1 Djibouti
• Egypt 2-1 Burkina Faso
• Malawi 3-1 Sao Tome and Principe
• Mauritania 0-2 Sudan
• Central African Republic 1-0 Chad
  
• Rep Congo vs Niger — postponed
• Togo 1-1 South Sudan
• Zimbabwe 0-2 Lesotho
• Mozambique 2-1 Somalia
• Madagascar 2-1 Comoros
• Guinea-Bissau 0-0 Ethiopia
• Nigeria 1-1 South Africa
• Uganda 1-0 Botswana
• Cameroon 4-1 Cape Verde
• Algeria 1-0 Guinea

June 10, 2024

• Somalia 1-3 Botswana
• Benin 2-1 Nigeria
• Sao Tome and Principe 0-1 Liberia
• Djibouti 1-1 Ethiopia
• DR Congo 1-0 Togo
• Mauritania 0-1 Senegal
• Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Malawi
• Burkina Faso 2-2 Sierra Leone
• Uganda 1-2 Algeria
• Namibia 0-0 Tunisia
• Guinea 0-1 Mozambique
• Ghana 4-3 Central African Republic
• Guinea-Bissau 1-1 Egypt

June 11, 2024

• Madagascar 0-0 Mali
• Mauritius 2-1 Eswatini
• Kenya 0-0 Ivory Coast
• South Sudan 0-3 Sudan
• South Africa 3-1 Zimbabwe
• Zambia 0-1 Tanzania
• Cape Verde 1-0 Libya
• Lesotho 0-1 Rwanda
• Chad 0-2 Comoros
• Rep Congo 0-6 Morocco
• Gabon 3-2 Gambia
• Angola 1-1 Cameroon
• Seychelles 1-3 Burundi

Matchday 5

Wednesday March 19, 2025

• Tanzania vs Congo — Postponed
• Central African Republic 1-4 Madagascar
• Eswatini 0-0 Cameroon
• Liberia 0-1 Tunisia

Thursday March 20, 2025

• Mozambique 3-1 Uganda
• Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritius
• Malawi 0-1 Namibia
• Sierra Leone 3-1 Guinea-Bissau
• Zimbabwe 2-2 Benin
• Gabon 3-0 Seychelles
• Gambia 3-3 Kenya
• Libya 1-1 Angola
• Comoros 0-3 Mali

Friday March 21, 2025

• Botswana 1-3 Algeria
• Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Sao Tome and Principe
• Burkina Faso 4-1 Djibouti
• DR Congo 1-0 South Sudan
• Rwanda 0-2 Nigeria
• South Africa 2-0 Lesotho
• Burundi 0-1 Ivory Coast
• Ghana 5-0 Chad
• Ethiopia 0-2 Egypt
• Guinea 0-0 Somalia
• Niger 1-2 Morocco

Saturday March 22, 2025

• Congo vs Zambia — Postponed
• Togo 2-2 Mauritania
• Sudan 0-0 Senegal

Matchday 6

Sunday March 23, 2025

• Eswatini 3-3 Mauritius
• Kenya 1-2 Gabon

Monday March 24, 2025

• Namibia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
• Central African Republic 0-0 Mali
• Guinea-Bissau 1-2 Burkina Faso
• Liberia 2-1 Sao Tome and Principe
• Ivory Coast 1-0 Gambia
• Madagascar 0-3 Ghana
• Ethiopia 6-1 Djibouti
• Tunisia 2-0 Malawi

Tuesday March 25, 2025

• Angola 1-2 Cape Verde
• Benin 0-2 South Africa
• Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe
• Rwanda 1-1 Lesotho
• Uganda 1-0 Guinea
• Burundi 5-0 Seychelles
• Botswana 2-0 Somalia
• Cameroon 3-1 Libya
• Egypt 1-0 Sierra Leone
• Sudan 1-1 South Sudan
• Algeria 5-1 Mozambique
• Comoros 1-0 Chad
• Mauritania 0-2 DR Congo
• Senegal 2-0 Togo
• Morocco 2-0 Tanzania

Matchday 7

September 3, 2025

• Seychelles 0-4 Gabon

September 4, 2025

• Chad 1-1 Ghana
• Guinea-Bissau 1-1 Sierra Leone
• Mauritius 0-2 Cape Verde
• Sao Tome and Principe 2-3 Equatorial Guinea
• Madagascar 2-0 Central African Republic
• Angola 0-1 Libya
• Algeria 3-1 Botswana
• Cameroon 3-0 Eswatini
• Mali 3-0 Comoros
• Tunisia 3-0 Liberia

September 5, 2025

• Kenya 1-3 Gambia
• Namibia 1-2 Malawi
• Somalia 0-3 Guinea
• South Sudan 1-4 DR Congo
• Benin 1-0 Zimbabwe
• Congo 1-1 Tanzania
• Uganda 4-0 Mozambique
• Djibouti 0-5 Burkina Faso
• Lesotho 0-3 South Africa
• Senegal 2-0 Sudan
• Morocco 5-0 Niger
• Mauritania 2-0 Togo
• Egypt 2-0 Ethiopia
• Ivory Coast 1-0 Burundi

September 6, 2025

• Nigeria 1-0 Rwanda

Matchday 8

September 7, 2025

• Central African Republic 0-2 Comoros

September 8, 2025

• Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Tunisia
• Mozambique 2-0 Botswana
• Zambia 0-2 Morocco
• Guinea 0-0 Algeria
• Guinea-Bissau 2-0 Djibouti
• Madagascar 3-1 Chad
• Malawi 2-2 Liberia
• Uganda 2-0 Somalia
• Ghana 1-0 Mali
• Libya 2-0 Eswatini

September 9, 2025

• Sierra Leone 2-0 Ethiopia
• Zimbabwe 0-1 Rwanda
• Tanzania 0-1 Niger
• Kenya 5-0 Seychelles
• Namibia 3-0 Sao Tome and Principe
• Burkina Faso 0-0 Egypt
• Cape Verde 1-0 Cameroon
• DR Congo 2-3 Senegal
• South Africa 1-1 Nigeria
• Togo 1-0 Sudan
• Angola 3-1 Mauritius
• Gabon 0-0 Ivory Coast
• Gambia 2-0 Burundi
• Mauritania 0-0 South Sudan
• Benin 4-0 Lesotho

Matchday 9

October 8, 2025

• Central African Republic 0-5 Ghana
• Chad 0-2 Mali
• Comoros 1-2 Madagascar
• Djibouti 0-3 Egypt
• Eswatini 2-2 Angola
• Ethiopia 1-0 Guinea-Bissau
• Libya 3-3 Cape Verde
• Mauritius 0-2 Cameroon
• Niger 3-1 Congo
• Sierra Leone 0-1 Burkina Faso
• Tanzania 0-1 Zambia

October 9, 2025

• Burundi 0-1 Kenya
• Botswana 0-1 Uganda
• Liberia 3-1 Namibia
• Malawi vs Equatorial Guinea — Postponed
• Mozambique 1-2 Guinea
• Somalia 0-3 Algeria

October 10, 2025

• South Sudan 0-5 Senegal
• Gambia 3-4 Gabon
• Seychelles 0-7 Ivory Coast
• Sudan 0-0 Mauritania
• Togo 0-1 DR Congo
• Lesotho 1-2 Nigeria
• Rwanda 0-1 Benin
• Sao Tome and Principe 0-6 Tunisia
• Zimbabwe 0-0 South Africa

Matchday 10

October 12, 2025

• Zambia 0-1 Niger
• Chad 2-3 Central African Republic
• Burkina Faso 3-1 Ethiopia
• Djibouti 1-2 Sierra Leone
• Egypt 1-0 Guinea-Bissau
• Ghana 1-0 Comoros
• Mali 4-1 Madagascar

October 13, 2025

• South Sudan 0-0 Togo
• Equatorial Guinea 1-1 Liberia
• Sao Tome and Principe 1-0 Malawi
• Tunisia 3-0 Namibia
• Cameroon 0-0 Angola
• Cape Verde 3-0 Eswatini
• Lesotho 1-0 Zimbabwe
• Mauritius 0-0 Libya

October 14, 2025

• Seychelles 0-7 Gambia
• Algeria 2-1 Uganda
• Guinea 2-2 Botswana
• Nigeria 4-0 Benin
• Somalia 0-1 Mozambique
• South Africa 3-0 Rwanda
• DR Congo 1-0 Sudan
• Gabon 2-0 Burundi
• Ivory Coast 3-0 Kenya
• Morocco 1-0 Congo
• Senegal 4-0 Mauritania