Highlights: The draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers took place on Thursday, July 12 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The 54 competing teams are divided into nine groups of 6 teams each. The 2026 edition of the World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico and will be played with 48 teams for the first time, instead of 32. This enlargement will allow the African continent to send 9 to 10 representatives against 5 previously. It will be necessary to win two more meetings to finally validate this famous 10th place for the continent.

The draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers took place on Thursday, July 12 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The 54 competing teams are divided into nine groups of 6 teams each.

2026 World Cup qualification: all groups in the Africa zone after the draw

The draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers took place on Thursday, July 12 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The 54 competing teams are divided into nine groups of 6 teams each.

Opening ceremony of the football World Cup in Qatar, Sunday, November 20, 2022. © REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Text by: Farid Achache Follow

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Based on the latest FIFA rankings, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali and Ivory Coast inherited seeded status and were guaranteed not to fall into the same group by being in Hat 1. On the other hand, selections such as Ghana, DR Congo or Burkina Faso, had to settle for the hat two and therefore face a seed.

The 2026 edition of the World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico and will be played with 48 teams for the first time, instead of 32. This enlargement will allow the African continent to send 9 to 10 representatives against 5 previously.

The 54 competing teams are divided into nine groups of 6 teams each. The first of each group will validate their ticket to the final phase, while the four best runners-up will compete in a mini-championship that will allow its winner to take part in the intercontinental play-offs.

A long way to the 10th ticket

Africa could therefore have 10 representatives for the World Cup. However, the lucky one will have to make a real way of the cross to hope to win the famous sesame. It will start with a mini-tournament between the four best runners-up from the nine pools. The winning team after playing a semi-final and final will join a pool of six teams from the qualifiers in Asia, Oceania, and Central America. Two teams will come out of these intercontinental play-offs to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. For the African team, it will be necessary to win two more meetings to finally validate this famous 10th place for the continent.

The draw:

Group A: Djibouti / Ethiopia / Sierra Leone / Guinea Bissau / Burkina Faso / Egypt

Group B: South Sudan / Sudan / Togo / Mauritania / DRC / Senegal

Group C: Lesotho / Rwanda / Zimbabwe / Benin / South Africa / Nigeria

Group D: Mauritius / Eswatini / Libya / Angola / Cape Verde / Cameroon

Group E: Eritrea / Niger / Tanzania / Congo / Zambia / Morocco

Group F: Seychelles / Burundi / Gambia / Kenya / Gabon / Ivory Coast

Group G: Somalia / Botswana / Mozambique / Uganda / Guinea / Algeria

Group H: São Tomé and Príncipe / Liberia / Malawi / Namibia / Equatorial Guinea / Tunisia

2026 World Cup qualification: all groups in the Africa zone after the draw

2026 World Cup qualification: all groups in the Africa zone after the draw

A long way to the 10th ticket

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