9 African Nations Will Be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup—Here’s How They Got There

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest in history, with the global showdown featuring 48 teams. This is an upgrade from 32 countries, the structure from France ‘98 to Qatar 2022. In each edition, Africa had five representatives. However, with an expansion to 48 teams, Africa’s representation has nearly doubled. The new structure guarantees nine slots; a tenth team can join the party through a playoff route.

This report analyses the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers. There are insights into how each group unfolded and the stories that defined the campaign. The playoff route for a potential tenth team shall also be addressed.

The Road to History: Structure and Significance

The FIFA World Cup African qualifiers spanned almost two years. 53 out of the 54 recognised footballing nations by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) participated in the qualifiers. They were divided into nine groups, each playing matches in a home-and-away format. 

The group phase began on 15 November 2023 and was concluded on 14 October 2025. Currently, nine nations have booked their tickets to the US, Canada, and Mexico. On the other hand, the four best runners-up earned a shot at redemption in a playoff tournament. The winner of the mini-tournament will then compete in the intercontinental playoff in March 2026.

Here’s an overview of each group and the team heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

Group A: Egypt Returns to the Global Stage, Burkina Faso Misses Out On Best Runners-up Spot 

When the teams in group A were drawn, many fans expected Egypt to breeze through the group. The seven-time AFCON winners did just that, finishing the group unbeaten (8 wins, 2 draws). Burkina Faso secured second position after a 3-1 victory over Ethiopia on the last matchday. They, however, failed to become one of the four best runners-up, mainly because they accumulated 6 points from the bottom side, Djibouti. 

Group B: Senegal Makes It Three World Cup Appearances in a Row 

Over the last eight years, Senegal has emerged as a football powerhouse in Africa. The country has been ranked first on FIFA’s ranking of African teams on multiple occasions. Winning the AFCON in 2021 and qualifying for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has cemented their dominance. 

However, the race to North America next year wasn’t easy for Senegal. They had a fierce battle with DR Congo for the automatic ticket, edging them by 2 points. DR still has a chance of joining Senegal, as they finished 2nd on the best second teams table.

Group C: Drama Until Matchday 10 

This group had all the ingredients to create a blockbuster movie. Many sports journalists tipped Nigeria to top the group with a new generation of talents. However, a plot twist with South Africa and the Benin Republic made it a three-horse race. South Africa was docked 3 points for fielding an ineligible player, making the race more intriguing.

Benin Republic headed into the last game leading the group, but finished third when it was over. Their 4-0 defeat to Nigeria and South Africa’s 3-0 win against Rwanda meant South Africa picked up the ticket. The four goals were enough to secure Nigeria a playoff spot, and thanks to the fact that they earned a mere 2 points from Zimbabwe, who finished last. 

Group D: The Fairytale Story of Cape Verde 

No African nation has made it to the FIFA World Cup more than Cameroon. The group on paper looked easy, and many anticipated a ninth appearance in 2026. Cape Verde, however, didn’t follow the script, creating a magical moment during the qualifiers. The “Blue Sharks” dominated the group, finishing with 23 points, four more than Cameroon’s 19 points. 

Cape Verde’s appearance will make it the second smallest country by population at a World Cup, coming behind Iceland. Cameroon, however, has a lifeline to join the party next year. Their good goal-scoring record helped them finish third on the table for second-placed teams. 

Group E: Morocco Perfect Record, Eritrea Pulls Out Of Qualifiers

Morocco made history at the last edition in Qatar, becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. It seems they were in a hurry to build on the feat, as they qualified with two games to spare. They, therefore, were the first African nation to secure a World Cup ticket.

The major talking point of this group was, however, Eritrea pulling out a few days before their first game in the group.. 

Eritrea’s withdrawal changed the shape of the second-placed table. CAF decided to exclude the sixth-place results when comparing runners-up to make things fair for whoever finished second in Group E (as they played 8 games compared to the 10 from other groups). 

Group F: Ivory Coast and Gabon Fight Until the Last Whistle, Seychelles Fail to Secure A Point 

Reigning African Champions, the Ivory Coast, had to wait until the final day to confirm qualification to next year’s showpiece. This was redemption, as they missed the 2018 and 2022 editions. Ivory Coast ended the African qualifiers with the best attacking and defensive record. They found the net 25 times and conceded none. 

Chasing the Ivory Coast throughout the campaign was Gabon. They gave it all they had, but it wasn’t enough to secure the automatic. However, they finished first on the runners-up table. 

Seychelles was another record breaker in the group. The nation lost all ten games, scoring twice and conceding 53 goals.

Group G: Algeria End 12 Year Absence 

The 2014 FIFA World Cup was memorable for Algeria as it was the first time they made it out of the group stage. The Round of 16 match was a spectacle, as they forced Germany (eventual winners) into extra time. Algeria, however, has not qualified since then.

The qualification round was always going to be easy, as they were paired with Uganda and other minnows. Algeria’s qualification was confirmed with a game to spare. 

Group H: Tunisia Cruise to 7th Appearance, Equatorial Guinea Suffers Point Deduction

The road to the FIFA 2026 World Cup was smooth for Tunisia. The nation gathered the most points during qualification, topping Group H with 28 points (9 wins, 1 draw). Like the Ivorians, they remarkably conceded none. 

One of the major talking points of the group was “Emilio Nsue”. You probably know him from winning the Golden Boot at the 2023 AFCON. In May 2024, FIFA declared that Nsue was ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea. The governing body said Nsue never got clearance to finalise his switch from Spain, which he played for at the youth level. The wins against Namibia and Liberia were nullified, and the points were awarded to both nations.

Group I: Ghana!

Since their  World Cup debut in Germany 2006, Ghana has qualified for five of the last six tournaments, except for 2018.  They finished top of Group I with 25 points, scoring 23 goals, one of the best tallies in the qualifiers.

The nation has provided classic matches since 2006, and we can only expect more when the tournament kicks off next year. 

The Morocco Playoff: One More Ticket Up for Grabs?

While nine nations have already booked their flights to North America, the dream is still alive for one more. Next month, Morocco will host a four-team playoff featuring the best group runners-up—Gabon, DR Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria. With so much on the line, fans are already watching the odds shift across sports betting platforms as the continent’s final ticket to North America hangs in the balance.

The format is simple: two semi-finals (Gabon vs Nigeria and DR Congo vs Cameroon) and a final. The winner of the mini-tournament will head to an intercontinental playoff scheduled for March 2026 in  Mexico.

The intercontinental playoff is a last-chance saloon that will feature 6 countries. CONCACAF has 2 slots, while AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC each received one. Based on FIFA’s ranking, the two top teams will be seeded into a final bracket, while the four unneeded teams face each other in separate semi-finals. The winners of the finals will join the remaining 46 countries.

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