Nine African nations have already secured their places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria will now compete for the chance to become the 10th African team to join the tournament.
These four teams advanced to the play-off stage as the best four runners-up from Africa’s nine World Cup qualifying groups. Among them, Gabon had the strongest record, followed by DR Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria.
On Thursday, Nigeria will face Gabon and Cameroon will take on DR Congo. The winners of these two matches will meet in Rabat on Sunday. The team that emerges victorious from this mini-tournament will qualify for the six-team intercontinental play-offs, scheduled to take place from 23–31 March 2026.
This play-off will feature two teams from North and Central America (Concacaf), one from Asia, one from Oceania, and one from South America. The two highest-ranked teams will advance directly to the final round, while the remaining four teams will contest single-leg elimination matches. The team that wins through this phase will claim a place at the World Cup.
So far, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq will represent Asia, Bolivia will represent South America, and New Caledonia will represent Oceania.
The draw for the World Cup, excluding these six teams, will be held on 5 December, when the groups for the other 42 qualified teams will also be determined.