The Confederation of African Football (Caf) Executive Committee has approved the format and dates for the qualifiers of the Fifa world cup 2026.
The meeting, held in Algiers and chaired by President Patrice Motsepe confirmed that the qualifiers will take place from November 13, 2023 to October 14, 2025.
The new format has been adapted in line with Fifa’s expanded world cup format and will involve all the 54 member associations of Caf who will be divided into nine groups.
Winners of each group will automatically qualify for the prestigious tournament.
The four best runners-up (from the groups) will play in a Caf play-off tournament slated for November 18 2025. The winner of the play-off tournament will play in the Fifa play-off tournament in March 2026.
The committee also announced that the official draw for the qualifiers will be on July 12 in Benin – the night before the 45th Caf Ordinary General Assembly.
The readiness of Cote d'Ivoire hosting the African Cup of Nations next year was also discussed during the meeting.
Cote d’Ivoire was announced as the hosts of the Caf Women’s Champions League to be held towards the end of the year. Morocco withdrew it's bid in support of Ivory Coast.
Additionally, the Executive Committee was updated about the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Caf and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).
