2026 FIFA World Cup : African Qualifiers Begin November 2023

The African Qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup begin this November, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on its official website on May 19, 2023. “The qualifiers are scheduled to start in November this year, with Match Day One and Two scheduled for between 13-21 November, while the third and fourth match days are scheduled for June 2024. The last match day will be in the week of October 6-14 while the Continental play-off will be staged between 10-18 November 2025 at a venue to be communicated later,” the write up announcing the date revealed.
But before this, the same write-up announces that following the decision by FIFA to increase Africa’s quota from five to nine direct tickets, CAF has announced a new format for the qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “The new format, which was approved by the Executive Committee of CAF during its meeting in Algiers on Thursday, will see the 54 Member Associations divided into nine groups of six teams each,” the information stated.
“Games will be played on a round robin basis, and the top team from each group after Match Day 10, will earn an automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the United States, M...