2026 World Cup qualifying - CAF: Fixtures, results, table & how it works
- The CAF qualifying groups have been decided for the 2026 World Cup
- There are nine groups in total made up of 54 teams
- The group stage got underway during the November international break
We may have only just had the 2022 World Cup last winter but it's already time to look ahead to the next tournament in four years' time.
Teams belonging to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) now know how they can reach the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with the qualifying groups having been decided.
There are a hell of a lot of teams within the continent competing for a well-earned spot at the World Cup, but with nine teams guaranteed to qualify for the tournament instead of just five from previous years, it's an exciting time for African football.
With the majority of the first round of qualifiers having now been played, the journey to the 2026 World Cup is underway.
Here is all you need to know about World Cup qualification in CAF.
2026 World Cup CAF qualifying - Quick Links
2026 World Cup CAF qualifying format
In CAF's World Cup qualifying stage, there are nine groups of six teams - totalling 54 nations. Each team plays one another home and away in a round-robin format, meaning a total of ten matches in each group.
The winners of each group automatically qualify for the World Cup as a result of CAF being given nine guaranteed spots in 2026 due to the tournament moving from 32 to 48 teams.
2026 World Cup CAF qualifying dates
The first round of qualifiers starts in November 2023 and will run for two years across ten matchdays.
Matchday | Date range |
|---|---|
1 & 2 | 13-21 November 2023 |
3 & 4 | 3-11 June 2024 |
5 & 6 | 17-25 March 2025 |
7 & 8 | 1-9 September 2025 |
9 & 10 | 6-14 October 2025 |
2026 World Cup CAF qualifying tables, fixtures & results
Group A
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Egypt | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 8:0 | 6 |
2 | Burkina Faso | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 4:1 | 4 |
3 | Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2:1 | 4 |
4 | Sierra Leone | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0:2 | 1 |
5 | Ethiopia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 0:3 | 1 |
6 | Djibouti | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 0:7 | 0 |
Group B
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Senegal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 4:0 | 4 |
2 | Sudan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2:1 | 4 |
3 | DR Congo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 2:1 | 3 |
4 | Togo | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1:1 | 2 |
5 | Mauritania | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0:2 | 1 |
6 | South Sudan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 0:4 | 1 |
Group C
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rwanda | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 2:0 | 4 |
2 | South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 2:3 | 3 |
3 | Nigeria | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2:2 | 2 |
4 | Lesotho | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1:1 | 2 |
5 | Zimbabwe | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1:1 | 2 |
6 | Benin | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1:2 | 1 |
Group D
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cameroon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 4:1 | 4 |
2 | Cape Verde | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 2:0 | 4 |
3 | Libya | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2:1 | 4 |
4 | Angola | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 2 |
5 | Mauritius | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 0:3 | 1 |
6 | Eswatini | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 0:3 | 0 |
Group E
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Morocco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 2:0 | 3 |
2 | Niger | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2:2 | 3 |
3 | Tanzania | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1:2 | 3 |
4 | Zambia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 5:4 | 3 |
5 | Congo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 2:4 | 0 |
6 | Eritrea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
Group F
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ivory Coast | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +11 | 11:0 | 6 |
2 | Gabon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 4:2 | 6 |
3 | Kenya | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 6:2 | 3 |
4 | Burundi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4:4 | 3 |
5 | Gambia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 2:5 | 0 |
6 | Seychelles | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -14 | 0:14 | 0 |
Group G
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Algeria | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 5:1 | 6 |
2 | Botswana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3:3 | 3 |
3 | Guinea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2:2 | 3 |
4 | Uganda | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2:2 | 3 |
5 | Mozambique | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3:4 | 3 |
6 | Somalia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 1:4 | 0 |
Group H
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tunisia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 5:0 | 6 |
2 | Equatorial Guinea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 2:0 | 6 |
3 | Namibia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 2:1 | 3 |
4 | Malawi | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 3 |
5 | Liberia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0:2 | 0 |
6 | Sao Tome and Principe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 0:6 | 0 |
Group I
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Comoros | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 5:2 | 6 |
2 | Mali | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4:2 | 4 |
3 | Madagascar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 3:1 | 3 |
4 | Ghana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 3 |
5 | Central African Republic | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 3:5 | 1 |
6 | Chad | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 1:6 | 0 |
Matchday 1
Date | Time (BST) | Group | Fixture |
|---|---|---|---|
15/11/23 | 13:00 | C | Rwanda 0-0 Zimbabwe |
15/11/23 | 13:00 | H | Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Namibia |
15/11/23 | 14:00 | A | Ethiopia 0-0 Sierra Leone |
15/11/23 | 16:00 | B | DR Congo 2-0 Mauritania |
16/11/23 | 13:00 | F | Burundi 3-2 Gambia |
16/11/23 | 13:00 | G | Botswana 2-3 Mozambique |
16/11/23 | 16:00 | C | Nigeria 1-1 Lesotho |
16/11/23 | 16:00 | B | Sudan 1-1 Togo |
16/11/23 | 16:00 | F | Gabon 2-1 Kenya |
16/11/23 | 16:00 | G | Algeria 3-1 Somalia |
16/11/23 | 16:00 | A | Egypt 6-0 Djibouti |
16/11/23 | 19:00 | D | Cape Verde 0-0 Angola |
17/11/23 | 13:00 | D | Eswatini 0-1 Libya |
17/11/23 | 13:00 | I | Comoros 4-2 Central African Republic |
17/11/23 | 13:00 | g | Guinea 2-1 Uganda |
17/11/23 | 16:00 | H | Liberia 0-1 Malawi |
17/11/23 | 16:00 | E | Zambia 4-2 Congo |
17/11/23 | 16:00 | I | Ghana 1-0 Madagascar |
17/11/23 | 19:00 | I | Mali 3-1 Chad |
17/11/23 | 19:00 | A | Burkina Faso 1-1 Guinea-Bissau |
17/11/23 | 19:00 | H | Tunisia 4-0 Sao Tome and Principe |
17/11/23 | 19:00 | F | Ivory Coast 9-0 Seychelles |
17/11/23 | 19:00 | D | Cameroon 3-0 Mauritius |
18/11/23 | 13:00 | C | South Africa 2-1 Benin |
18/11/23 | 16:00 | E | Niger 0-1 Tanzania |
18/11/23 | 19:00 | B | Senegal 4-0 South Sudan |
Matchday 2
Date | Time (BST) | Group | Fixture |
|---|---|---|---|
19/11/23 | 13:00 | C | Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria |
19/11/23 | 13:00 | F | Burundi 1-2 Gabon |
19/11/23 | 13:00 | G | Mozambique 0-2 Algeria |
19/11/23 | 16:00 | B | Sudan 1-0 DR Congo |
19/11/23 | 16:00 | A | Sierra Leone 0-2 Egypt |
20/11/23 | 13:00 | A | Djibouti 0-1 Guinea-Bissau |
20/11/23 | 16:00 | F | Gambia 0-2 Ivory Coast |
20/11/23 | 16:00 | H | Liberia 0-1 Equatorial Guinea |
20/11/23 | 19:00 | F | Seychelles 0-5 Kenya |
20/11/23 | 19:00 | I | Mali 1-1 Central African Republic |
20/11/23 | 19:00 | I | Chad 0-3 Madagascar |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | A | Ethiopia 0-3 Burkina Faso |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | C | Lesotho 0-0 Benin |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | C | Rwanda 2-0 South Africa |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | D | Eswatini 0-2 Cape Verde |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | G | Botswana 1-0 Guinea |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | G | Somalia 0-1 Uganda |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | H | Malawi 0-1 Tunisia |
21/11/23 | 16:00 | B | South Sudan 0-0 Mauritania |
21/11/23 | 16:00 | B | Togo 0-0 Senegal |
21/11/23 | 16:00 | D | Libya 1-1 Cameroon |
21/11/23 | 16:00 | D | Mauritius 0-0 Angola |
21/11/23 | 16:00 | H | Sao Tome and Principe 0-2 Namibia |
21/11/23 | 16:00 | I | Comoros 1-0 Ghana |
21/11/23 | 19:00 | E | Niger 2-1 Zambia |
21/11/23 | 19:00 | E | Tanzania 0-2 Morocco |
2026 World Cup CAF play-offs
While the nine group winners are guaranteed a place at the next World Cup, there is the possibility that another African team qualifies.
The four best group runners-up will compete against one another in a play-off, with the winner eventually going to the FIFA play-off tournament.
That FIFA play-off tournament is made up of one nation from each federation (excluding UEFA), as well as an extra nation from CONCACAF, with the winner of that knockout competition joining the other 47 teams in the World Cup group stages.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will take place in June and July across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The expanded format means there will be even more games than usual at the world's biggest international tournament.
READ MORE ON THE STATE OF 2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION AROUND THE GLOBE
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