CAF 2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Key developments so far

With nine spots up for grabs for African countries in the next edition of the 2026 World Cup set to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States following the expansion of teams from 32 to 48, various countries are bracing themselves competitively for a place.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) did away with its traditional preliminary round, in which lower-ranked nations were drawn into a series of two-legged ties, the winners of which progressed to a group stage.

This time, all the nations participated in a larger group stage with the 54 entrants split into nine pools, each containing six teams. However Eritrea’s late withdrawal from qualifying in November 2023, left Group E with only five teams.

The first matches in the group were played between 15 and 21 November 2023 with rounds three and four taking place in June.

After match day four of the qualifiers and over a 100 matches played, the groups are starting to take shape, with Ghana, benefiting the most from the last two sets of rounds.

After picking up a win and a loss in the first and second round of games, Ghana was left with just three points and then languishing in fourth.
However two wins from two from the round three and four games have now left Ghana’s destiny in their own hands. Although the Black Stars are second in group I, Ghana’s qualification now solely depends on them. They win their remaining games and the 2026 World Cup would be in grasp.

Otto Addo says he will decide if Andre Ayew will be part of the next callups#3SportsGH pic.twitter.com/5myahfhwkI

— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) June 12, 2024

With two games against minnows Chad yet to be played, what could have become a difficult task for Ghana seems less difficult now.

The big guns have already stamped their authority with Egypt, Cameroon, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Tunisia,
leading their packs in the standings. There have been some surprise packages also; Sudan, Rwanda and Comoros also occupy first places in their respective groups.

The biggest disappointment has been Nigeria. A change in managerial personnel is yet to yield results. The 2023 AFCON finalists now have to depend on other results if they are to qualify for the Mundial come 2026. With just 3 points from four games, the Super Eagles face a daunting task ahead of the next qualifying round.

With qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations also needing to be scheduled during 2024, the remaining six match days of World Cup qualifiers will be spread across the international windows in March, September and October 2025.

• 2026 World Cup qualifiers: Super Eagles without victory after four games

Only 13 African countries have ever played at the World Cup, but an expansion to nine guaranteed qualifiers and means there is a chance for some debutants at the next edition.

The winner of each group will progress to the main showdown in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The four best-ranked second-placed in the qualifying groups will get another chance to reach Canada, Mexico and the USA as they will compete in an intercontinental play-off in March 2026 for the final two places at the 2026 finals.