The drawing of lots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Africa is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, in Benin.
This event will determine the matchups for teams vying for spots in the next World Cup, which will be hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States of America.
The decision by FIFA to increase the number of participating teams to 48 has provided Africa with 9 direct slots, in addition to one team qualifying through the FIFA playoff tournament.
During the recent meeting of the CAF Executive Committee on May 18, 2023, the new format for the African qualifiers was examined and approved.
The 54 African associations will be divided into 9 groups, each consisting of 6 teams. Every African association is automatically entered into the qualifying process.
The group winners will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, the four best runners-up will participate in a centralized continental play-off. This play-off will determine the African team that will advance to the intercontinental FIFA playoff tournament.
The African continent was represented by Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Cameroon, and Tunisia in the previous edition of the World Cup held in Qatar.
