2026 W’Cup qualifiers: Ghana, S’Africa, Angola may draw face Nigeria
According to PUNCH Sports Extra, in the 2026 W’Cup qualifiers, Super Eagles could face their bitter rivals Ghana, South Africa, and Angola.
The 2026 World Cup qualifying round draw ceremony takes place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Thursday (today), immediately following the 45th CAF Ordinary Assembly at the same location.
For the upcoming finals, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, Africa will use a single-stage World Cup qualification structure, according to a statement from the Confederation of African Football.
The decision eliminates the previous three qualification round process, which requires over two years to complete.
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The 54 Member Association teams will be divided into nine groups of six teams each under the new CAF format, which was approved by the Executive Committee.
The group winners will advance to the World Cup after Africa’s slots were increased to nine teams, with the 10th team qualifying via a playoff system.
To choose one additional team that will advance to the Intercontinental playoffs, the four best runners-up will be randomly selected in a mini-playoff.
The Eagles will automatically avoid Morocco, who made history by becoming the first-ever African nation to advance to the World Cup semifinals at the most recent tournament in Qatar, as well as Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Mali, and Ivory Coast, who are also in Pot 1.
The Eagles are seeded in Pot 1 for the draw. Teams cannot be picked from the same pot.
The three-time African champions may now face some of their fiercest competitors who are in other pots.
Other challenging opponents for Jose Peseiro’s team might include Sierra Leone, a recent nemesis of the Eagles, and the Central African Republic, which defeated the Eagles in Lagos for the first time in more than 40 years in 2021.
In Pot 4, you’ll find Mozambique, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Libya. In Pot 5, you’ll find Niger, Comoros, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Botswana, and Liberia.
Plot 6 includes the nations of Lesotho, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome, Djibouti, Seychelles, Eritrea, and Somalia.
Austin Okocha, a former captain of the Eagles, and other legendary African figures will be present for the draw.
El-Hadji Diouf, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Alex Song, Wael Gomaa, Asamoah Gyan, Khalilou Fadiga, Geremi Njitap, Houssine Kharja, and Youri Djorkaeff are other players that are anticipated to join the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder.
There will also be many more Ivorian legends there, like Didier Zokora, Siaka Tiene, Aruna Dindane, Cyril Domoraud, Alain Gouamene, Abdoulaye Traore, Emmanuel Eboue, Ahmed Ouattara, and Bonaventure Kalou.
The USA, Canada, and Mexico will co-host the 2026 World Cup.
