2026 World Cup: Schedule and Ranking of the Qualifiers in the CAF Zone

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The 2026 World Cup will bring together 48 teams for the first time since its inception and will jointly be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In this article, you will find the schedule and group ranking of the World Cup qualifiers in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) zone.

Ranking of the CAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers by group

CAF Group A
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Egypt

Egypt

4 3 1 0 9 10
2 Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau

4 1 3 0 1 6
3 Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

4 1 2 1 2 5
4 Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

4 1 2 1 -1 5
5 Ethiopia

Ethiopia

4 0 3 1 -3 3
6 Djibouti

Djibouti

4 0 1 3 -8 1
CAF Group B
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Sudan

Sudan

4 3 1 0 6 10
2 Senegal

Senegal

4 2 2 0 5 8
3 Congo DR

Congo DR

4 2 1 1 2 7
4 Togo

Togo

4 0 3 1 -1 3
5 South Sudan

South Sudan

4 0 2 2 -7 2
6 Mauritania

Mauritania

4 0 1 3 -5 1
CAF Group C
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Rwanda

Rwanda

4 2 1 1 2 7
2 South Africa

South Africa

4 2 1 1 1 7
3 Benin

Benin

4 2 1 1 1 7
4 Lesotho

Lesotho

4 1 2 1 1 5
5 Nigeria

Nigeria

4 0 3 1 -1 3
6 Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

4 0 2 2 -4 2
CAF Group D
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Cameroon

Cameroon

4 2 2 0 6 8
2 Libya

Libya

4 2 1 1 1 7
3 Cape Verde Islands

Cape Verde Islands

4 2 1 1 0 7
4 Angola

Angola

4 1 3 0 1 6
5 Mauritius

Mauritius

4 1 1 2 -3 4
6 Eswatini

Eswatini

4 0 0 4 -5 0
CAF Group E
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Morocco

Morocco

3 3 0 0 9 9
2 Tanzania

Tanzania

3 2 0 1 0 6
3 Niger

Niger

2 1 0 1 0 3
4 Zambia

Zambia

4 1 0 3 -1 3
5 Congo

Congo

2 0 0 2 -8 0
CAF Group F
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast

4 3 1 0 12 10
2 Gabon

Gabon

4 3 0 1 2 9
3 Burundi

Burundi

4 2 1 1 2 7
4 Kenya

Kenya

4 1 2 1 4 5
5 Gambia

Gambia

4 1 0 3 0 3
6 Seychelles

Seychelles

4 0 0 4 -20 0
CAF Group G
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Algeria

Algeria

4 3 0 1 4 9
2 Mozambique

Mozambique

4 3 0 1 1 9
3 Botswana

Botswana

4 2 0 2 1 6
4 Guinea

Guinea

4 2 0 2 0 6
5 Uganda

Uganda

4 2 0 2 0 6
6 Somalia

Somalia

4 0 0 4 -6 0
CAF Group H
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Tunisia

Tunisia

4 3 1 0 6 10
2 Namibia

Namibia

4 2 2 0 5 8
3 Liberia

Liberia

4 2 1 1 3 7
4 Malawi

Malawi

4 2 0 2 1 6
5 Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea

4 1 0 3 -6 3
6 Sao Tome e Principe

Sao Tome e Principe

4 0 0 4 -9 0
CAF Group I
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Comoros

Comoros

4 3 0 1 4 9
2 Ghana

Ghana

4 3 0 1 2 9
3 Madagascar

Madagascar

4 2 1 1 3 7
4 Mali

Mali

4 1 2 1 1 5
5 Central African Rep

Central African Rep

4 1 1 2 -2 4
6 Chad

Chad

4 0 0 4 -8 0

The qualifying groups for the 2026 World Cup (CAF Zone)

African teams have been divided into nine groups of six teams each. In each of these groups, all six teams will compete in a mini-league of home and away fixtures to determine who tops the table.

At the end of the qualifiers, teams that top each of the groups will have the privilege of participating in the 2026 World Cup.

2026 World Cup
Photo by Icon Sport

Here is the composition of each group:

Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti.

Group B: Senegal, DR Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan.

Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho.

Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius.

Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea*.

Group F: Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles.

Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia.

Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe.

Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad.

*Eritrea withdrew from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

How many African teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

In the expanded format of the 2026 World Cup, 48 teams will compete, with Africa benefiting from a greater share of spots.

Rather than the traditional five slots, the African continent is set to have 9 or 10 teams in the tournament’s group stage.

The winners of each qualifying group will automatically secure their place in the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Additionally, the four best second-placed teams will enter a mini-tournament, with the winner earning a spot in the intercontinental play-offs. This setup gives Africa the chance to have at least nine teams, and potentially ten, competing in the 2026 World Cup.

Schedule of the next CAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers

It is important to point out that the fifth and sixth matchdays of the CAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers will take place in March 2025.

Schedule and results of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Africa

Group A schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group A
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Burkina Faso 1-1 Guinea-Bissau
  • Egypt 0-0 Djibouti
  • Ethiopia 6-0 Sierra Leone

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Djibouti 0-1 Guinea-Bissau
  • Sierra Leone 0-2 Egypt
  • Ethiopia 0-3 Burkina Faso

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Sierra Leone 2-1 Djibouti
  • Guinea-Bissau 0-0 Ethiopia
  • Egypt 2-1 Burkina Faso

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • Burkina Faso 2-2 Sierra Leone
  • Guinea-Bissau 1-1 Egypt
  • Djibouti 1-1 Ethiopia

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Burkina Faso vs Djibouti
  • Sierra Leone vs Guinea-Bissau
  • Ethiopia vs Egypt

Matchday 6 (March 2025) :

  • Guinea-Bissau vs Burkina Faso
  • Egypt vs Sierra Leone
  • Ethiopia vs Djibouti

Matchday 7 (September 2025) :

  • Guinea-Bissau vs Sierra Leone
  • Djibouti vs Burkina Faso
  • Egypt vs Ethiopia

Matchday 8 (September 2025) :

  • Burkina Faso vs Egypt
  • Guinea-Bissau vs Djibouti
  • Sierra Leone vs Ethiopia

Matchday 9 (October 2025) :

  • Djibouti vs Egypt
  • Sierra Leone vs Burkina Faso
  • Ethiopia vs Guinea-Bissau

Matchday 10 (October 2025) :

  • Burkina Faso vs Ethiopia
  • Djibouti vs Sierra Leone
  • Egypt vs Guinea-Bissau

Group B schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group B
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • DR Congo 2-0 Mauritania
  • Senegal 4-0 South Sudan
  • Sudan 1-1 Togo

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • South Sudan 0-0 Mauritania
  • Togo 0-0 Senegal
  • Sudan 1-0 DR Congo

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Togo 1-1 South Sudan
  • Mauritania 0-2 Sudan
  • Senegal 1-1 DR Congo

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • DR Congo 1-0 Togo
  • Mauritania 0-1 Senegal
  • South Sudan 0-3 Sudan

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • DR Congo vs South Sudan
  • Togo vs Mauritania
  • Sudan vs Senegal

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Mauritania vs DR Congo
  • Senegal vs Togo
  • Sudan vs Sudan South

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Mauritania vs Togo
  • South Sudan vs DR Congo
  • Senegal vs Sudan

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • DR Congo vs Senegal
  • Mauritania vs South Sudan
  • Togo vs Sudan

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • South Sudan vs Senegal
  • Togo vs DR Congo
  • Sudan vs Mauritania

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • DR Congo vs Sudan
  • South Sudan vs Togo
  • Senegal vs Mauritania

Group C schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group C
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Nigeria 1-1 Lesotho
  • Rwanda 0-0 Zimbabwe
  • South Africa 2-1 Benin

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria
  • Lesotho 0-0 Benin
  • Rwanda 2-0 South Africa

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Rwanda vs Nigeria
  • South Africa vs Lesotho
  • Zimbabwe vs Benin

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Nigeria vs Zimbabwe
  • Rwanda vs Lesotho
  • Benin vs South Africa

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Nigeria vs Rwanda
  • Lesotho vs South Africa
  • Benin vs Zimbabwe

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • South Africa vs Nigeria
  • Benin vs Lesotho
  • Zimbabwe vs Rwanda

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • Lesotho vs Nigeria
  • Zimbabwe vs South Africa
  • Rwanda vs Benin

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • Nigeria vs Benin
  • Lesotho vs Zimbabwe
  • South Africa vs Rwanda

Group D schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group D
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Cape Verde 0-0 Angola
  • Cameroon 3-0 Mauritius
  • Eswatini 0-1 Libya

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Mauritius 0-0 Angola
  • Libya 1-1 Cameroon
  • Eswatini 0-2 Cape Verde

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Libya 2-1 Mauritius
  • Angola 1-0 Eswatini
  • Cameroon 4-1 Cape Verde

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • Cape Verde 1-0 Libya
  • Angola 1-1 Cameroon
  • Mauritius 2-1 Eswatini

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Cape Verde vs Mauritius
  • Libya vs Angola
  • Eswatini vs Cameroon

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Angola vs. Cape Verde
  • Cameroon vs. Libya
  • Eswatini vs. Mauritius

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Angola vs. Libya
  • Mauritius vs. Cape Verde
  • Cameroon vs. Eswatini

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • Cape Verde vs. Cameroon
  • Libya vs. Eswatini
  • Angola vs. Mauritius

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • Mauritius vs Cameroon
  • Eswatini vs Angola
  • Libya vs Cape Verde

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • Cameroon vs Angola
  • Cape Verde vs Eswatini
  • Mauritius vs Libya

Group E schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group E
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Zambia 4-2 Congo
  • Niger 0-1 Tanzania

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Tanzania 0-2 Morocco
  • Niger 2-1 Zambia

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Congo 0-3 (WO) Niger
  • Morocco 2-1 Zambia

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • Zambia 0-1 Tanzania
  • Congo 0-6 Morocco

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Tanzania vs Congo
  • Niger vs Morocco

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Congo vs Zambia
  • Morocco vs Tanzania

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Congo vs Tanzania
  • Morocco vs Niger

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • Zambia vs Morocco
  • Tanzania vs Niger

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • Tanzania vs Zambia
  • Niger vs Congo

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • Zambia vs Niger
  • Morocco vs Congo

Group F schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group F
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Gabon 2-1 Kenya
  • Côte d’Ivoire 9-0 Seychelles
  • Burundi 3-2 Gambia

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Seychelles 0-5 Kenya
  • Gambia 0-2 Côte d’Ivoire
  • Burundi 1-2 Gabon

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Gambia 5-1 Seychelles
  • Kenya 1-1 Burundi
  • Côte d’Ivoire 1-0 Gabon

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • Gabon 3-2 Gambia
  • Kenya 0-0 Côte d’Ivoire
  • Seychelles 1-3 Burundi

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Gabon vs Seychelles
  • Gambia vs Kenya
  • Burundi vs Côte d’Ivoire

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Kenya vs Gabon
  • Côte d’Ivoire vs Gambia
  • Burundi vs Seychelles

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Kenya vs Gambia
  • Seychelles vs Gabon
  • Côte d’Ivoire vs Burundi

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • Gabon vs Côte d’Ivoire
  • Kenya vs Seychelles
  • Gambia vs Burundi

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • Seychelles vs Côte d’Ivoire
  • Gambia vs Gabon
  • Burundi vs Kenya

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • Gabon vs Burundi
  • Seychelles vs Gambia
  • Côte d’Ivoire vs Kenya

Group G schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group G
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Guinea 2-1 Uganda
  • Algeria 3-1 Somalia
  • Botswana 2-3 Mozambique

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Somalia 0-1 Uganda
  • Mozambique 0-2 Algeria
  • Botswana 1-0 Guinea

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Mozambique 2-1 Somalia
  • Uganda 1-0 Botswana
  • Algeria 1-2 Guinea

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • Guinea 0-1 Mozambique
  • Somalia 1-3 Botswana
  • Uganda 1-2 Algeria

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Guinea vs Somalia
  • Mozambique vs Uganda
  • Botswana vs Algeria

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Algeria vs Mozambique
  • Uganda vs Guinea
  • Botswana vs Somalia

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Uganda vs Mozambique
  • Somalia vs Guinea
  • Algeria vs Botswana

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • Guinea vs Algeria
  • Mozambique vs Botswana
  • Uganda vs Somalia

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • Somalia vs Algeria
  • Mozambique vs Guinea
  • Botswana vs Uganda

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • Algeria vs Uganda
  • Guinea vs Botswana
  • Somalia vs Mozambique

Group H schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group H
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Namibia
  • Tunisia 4-0 Sao Tome and Principe
  • Liberia 0-1 Malawi

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Sao Tome and Principe 0-2 Namibia
  • Malawi 0-1 Tunisia
  • Liberia 0-1 Equatorial Guinea

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Malawi 3-1 Sao Tome and Principe
  • Namibia 1-1 Liberia
  • Tunisia 1-0 Equatorial Guinea

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Malawi
  • Sao Tome and Principe 0-1 Liberia
  • Namibia 0-0 Tunisia

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Sao Tome and Principe vs Tunisia
  • Malawi vs Namibia
  • Liberia vs Equatorial Guinea

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Equatorial Guinea vs Sao Tome and Principe
  • Namibia vs Malawi
  • Tunisia vs Liberia

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Namibia vs Malawi
  • Sao Tome and Principe vs Equatorial Guinea
  • Tunisia vs Liberia

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • Equatorial Guinea vs Tunisia
  • Namibia vs Sao Tome and Principe
  • Malawi vs Liberia

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • Sao Tome and Principe vs Tunisia
  • Malawi vs Equatorial Guinea
  • Liberia vs Namibia

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • Equatorial Guinea vs Liberia
  • Sao Tome and Principe vs Malawi
  • Tunisia vs Namibia

Group I schedule and results

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group I
Photo by Icon Sport

Matchday 1 (November 2023)

  • Ghana 1-0 Madagascar
  • Mali 3-1 Chad
  • Comoros 4-2 Central African Republic

Matchday 2 (November 2023)

  • Chad 0-3 Madagascar
  • Mali 1-1 Central African Republic
  • Comoros 1-0 Ghana

Matchday 3 (June 2024)

  • Central African Republic 1-0 Chad
  • Madagascar 2-1 Comoros
  • Mali 1-2 Ghana

Matchday 4 (June 2024)

  • Ghana 4-3 Central African Republic
  • Chad 0-2 Comoros
  • Madagascar 0-0 Mali

Matchday 5 (March 2025)

  • Ghana vs Chad
  • Central African Republic vs Madagascar
  • Comoros vs Mali

Matchday 6 (March 2025)

  • Madagascar vs Ghana
  • Mali vs Central African Republic
  • Comoros vs Chad

Matchday 7 (September 2025)

  • Madagascar vs Central African Republic
  • Chad vs Ghana
  • Mali vs Comoros

Matchday 8 (September 2025)

  • Ghana vs Mali
  • Central African Republic vs Comoros
  • Madagascar vs Chad

Matchday 9 (October 2025)

  • Chad vs Mali
  • Central African Republic vs Ghana
  • Comoros vs Madagascar

Matchday 10 (October 2025)

  • Mali vs Madagascar
  • Chad vs Central African Republic
  • Ghana vs Comoros
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Kelechi Udoka

Kelechi is a long-suffering Valencia fan with over five years of experience writing about football, tennis, basketball, American football and baseball.

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