The FIFA World Cup is exactly a year away and qualification is well underway after what was the best ever for the continent last time out.
The 2022 edition in Qatar saw an African nation reach the semi finals for the very first time, with Morocco narrowly missing out on the Final to runners up France. It was a tournament that gave hope that CAF nations can once again compete at the very top when they land in the USA, Canada or Mexico come next June.
But who will be the African nations qualifying for the tournament? A resident football expert, Kate Richardson, takes a look at the state of play and which outfits are most likely to make it to the US…
FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF): How many teams make it through?
With 48 teams taking part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, nine CAF teams will now directly qualify for the competition instead of the five that had previously been the case. There is also an opportunity for a further team to make it through the inter-confederation play-offs.
This prompted the CAF to create a new qualification format, with teams drawn into nine groups of six. The winner of each group will then qualify, with the four best runners up then going into a play-off system, where one will enter the inter-confederation play-offs.
Much of the qualification process has now been completed, with the First Round having only four matchdays left, taking place in September and October. The play-offs then take place in November.
Upcoming CAF World Cup Qualifying Dates
First Round:
- Matchday 7: 1-9 September, 2025
- Matchday 8: 1-9 September, 2025
- Matchday 9: 6-14 October, 2025
- Matchday 10: 6-14 October, 2025
Second Round:
- Semi Finals: 10-18 November, 2025
- Final: 10-18 November, 2025
Which CAF Nations are Favourites to Qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
It’s perhaps no surprise to see the usual suspects are among the favourites to qualify for the World Cup with the bookmakers. MightyTips, a leading bookmaker review site, have seen many of the top betting sites like BillyBets and SupaBet tipping the likes of Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Ivory Coast to make the tournament, with the former two also most likely to progress to the Second Round stages at the actual World Cup.
CAF World Cup Qualifiers Standings
The tables certainly suggest that’ll be the case as it stands with four games left. No team has qualified as yet, while no team has pulled completely away from the pack either, but the likes of Ghana, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Egypt all top their group.
The only certainty is that Congo, Seychelles, Chad and Sao Tome and Principe are eliminated and cannot qualify, while Eritrea have withdrawn from the competition due to fears that players could seek political asylum during trips abroad.
A source close to the squad at the time said: “This is heartbreaking. It’s not easy for the players to ask for an explanation. They may send you to jail for protesting.”
That means that Group E will play fewer games, with the current standings across the qualification process looking as follows:
Group A
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Egypt | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Burkina Faso | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 3 | Sierra Leone | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Ethiopia | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Guinea-Bissau | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | Djibouti | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Group B
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | DR Congo | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | Senegal | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Sudan | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | Togo | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | South Sudan | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | Mauritania | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Group C
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | South Africa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | Rwanda | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Benin | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Nigeria | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Lesotho | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
Group D
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Cape Verde | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | Cameroon | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Libya | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Angola | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Mauritius | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | Eswatini | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Group E
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Morocco | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | Tanzania | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | Zambia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Niger | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Congo | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Eritrea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group F
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Ivory Coast | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Gabon | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | Burundi | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Kenya | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Gambia | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Seychelles | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Group G
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Algeria | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 2 | Mozambique | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 3 | Botswana | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Uganda | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 | Guinea | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Somalia | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Group H
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Tunisia | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Namibia | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Liberia | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Equatorial Guinea | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 | Malawi | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Sao Tome and Principe | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Group I
| Position | Nation | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Ghana | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 2 | Comoros | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 3 | Madagascar | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Mali | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 | Central African Republic | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | Chad | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Premier League Players in CAF 2026 World Cup Qualification
A lot of what happens over the coming months will come down to the Premier League players featuring in the 2026 World Cup qualifying games.
Only earlier this year Jurgen Klopp stated of Mo Salah, “Come on, we all see it – who is better than him at the moment? At the moment, there is nobody better in world football than him.”
And after last season, it’s hard to argue. Salah is perhaps the greatest player of all-time from the continent, and even at 33-years-old is still an integral part of both Liverpool and Egypt’s side.
His compatriot Omar Marmoush will also strengthen Egypt’s charge next summer, after proving a real asset for Manchester City last season.
Cameroon will be hopeful that Bryan Mbeumo can make a difference and propel the Indomitable Lions into the World Cup, while Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson (Senegal), Manchester United’s Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast) and DR Congo and Brentford star Yoane Wissa are all playing a key role in the CAF qualification stages.
What Could Happen Next? The Remaining Four Fixtures
There is still plenty to play for in the competition with most second place teams, and even some third, still not only in with a chance of automatic qualification as group leaders, but also through the play-offs.
You’d think it would take a lot for Egypt, Morocco and to an extent South Africa to be knocked from their top positions, while we might expect Nigeria to make a late charge in Group C, with them currently six points behind South Africa.
The two sides drew in June and meet again in September, where it’s imperative that the Super Eagles pick up the three points to stand any chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
Cameroon and Senegal will also be keen to jump out of their second place spots in their respective groups and into the top spot. Cameroon have a great chance of doing that with a win over Cape Verde in September, while it’s the same story for Senegal against DR Congo in Group B. We’d expect the two teams to turn that around and pick up automatic qualification.
The article is written by Kate Richardson.
The post CAF 2026 World Cup Qualification: All You Need To Know About the African Qualifiers appeared first on MyNewsGh.
