CAF made the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday July 13, 2023. Divided into 9 groups of 6 teams, the draw is evenly balanced, with a few shocks expected.
At its General Assembly in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, CAF renewed its Executive Board. But all eyes were on the draw for the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Morocco and Senegal well served
Considered to be the two best African nations of the moment, Morocco and Senegal inherited a lenient draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Atlas Lions' main direct rivals are Zambia and Congo. The Lions of Senegal will face DR Congo and Mauritania. Tunisia avoided the worst with a playable group. The Carthage Eagles will (again) face Equatorial Guinea. The 2019 African champions can also rub their hands. Algeria will share their group with Guinea as their main rivals.
Nigeria and Egypt go big
Having missed out on the 2022 World Cup, Egypt's Pharaohs are determined not to miss out on the next event on the American continent. However, Mohamed Salah's team-mates will have to deal with the ever-improving Burkina Faso generation, as well as Guinea-Bissau. Seeded in the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Nigeria have also inherited a Pot 2 opponent to avoid: South Africa. The Super Eagles are likely to be their main opponents for qualification, and will need to make a clean sweep to continue their road to the World Cup. Mali and Ghana in the same group.
🚨 🌍Tirage au sort des qualifications de la Coupe du monde 2026. Zone Afrique
𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 𝗔 :
🇪🇬 Égypte
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
🇬🇼 Guinée-Bissau
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
🇪🇹 Éthiopie
🇩🇯 Djibouti𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 𝗕 :
🇸🇳 Sénégal
🇨🇩 RD Congo
🇲🇷 Mauritanie
🇹🇬 Togo
🇸🇩 Soudan
🇸🇸 Soudan du Sud… pic.twitter.com/rahV6QF23e— Sport News Africa (@snewsafrica) July 13, 2023
