Africa's World Cup: The Arab Teams' Fierce Battle For 2026 Glory!

African teams resume their quest for FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification this March with 10 Arab nation vying for spots in the final tournament set to be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Following long break due to the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON qualifiers, the continent now shifts its focus back to the World Cup qualifiers with crucial matches set to take place in the 5th & 6th rounds of the campaign.

Qualification System

The 9 group winners will secure direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 4 best second placed teams will compete in CAF playoff with the winner advancing to intercontinental playoff for final world cup berth.

Group Standings & Upcoming Fixtures

Group A

1. Egypt 10 pts
2. Guinea Bissau 6 pts
3. Burkina Faso 5 pts
4. Sierra Leone 5 pts
5. Ethiopia 3 pts
6. Djibouti 1 pt

Matchday 5: Burkina Faso vs Djibouti, Sierra Leone vs Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia vs Egypt.

Matchday 6: Guinea Bissau vs Burkina Faso, Egypt vs Sierra Leone, Ethiopia vs Djibouti.

Group B

1. Sudan 10 pts
2. Senegal 8 pts
3. DR Congo 7 pts
4. Togo 3 pts
5. South Sudan 2 pts
6. Mauritania 1 pt

Matchday 5: DR Congo vs South Sudan, Togo vs Mauritania, Sudan vs Senegal.

Matchday 6: Mauritania vs DR Congo, Senegal vs Togo, Sudan vs Senegal.

Group C

1. Rwanda 7 pts
2. South Africa 7 pts
3. Benin 7 pts
4. Lesotho 5 pts
5. Nigeria 3 pts
6. Zimbabwe 2 pts

Matchday 5: South Africa vs Lesotho, Zimbabwe vs Benin, Rwanda vs Nigeria.

Matchday 6: Benin vs South Africa, Nigeria vs Zimbabwe, Rwanda vs Lesotho.

Group D

1. Cameroon 8 pts
2. Libya 7 pts
3. Cape Verde 7 pts
4. Angola 6 pts
5. Mauritius 4 pts
6. Eswatini 0 pts

Matchday 5: Cape Verde vs Mauritius, Libya vs Angola, Eswatini vs Cameroon.

Matchday 6: Angola vs Cape Verde, Cameroon vs Libya, Eswatini vs Mauritius.

Group E

1. Morocco 9 pts
2. Niger 6 pts
3. Tanzania 6 pts
4. Zambia 3 pts
5. DR Congo 0 pts

Matchday 5: Niger vs Morocco.

Matchday 6: Morocco vs Tanzania.

Group F

1. Ivory Coast 10 pts
2. Gabon 9 pts
3. Burundi 7 pts
4. Kenya 5 pts
5. Gambia 3 pts
6. Seychelles 0 pts

Matchday 5: Gabon vs Seychelles, Gambia vs Kenya, Burundi vs Ivory Coast.

Matchday 6: Kenya vs Gabon, Ivory Coast vs Gambia, Burundi vs Seychelles.

Group G

1. Algeria 9 pts
2. Mozambique 9 pts
3. Botswana 6 pts
4. Guinea 6 pts
5. Uganda 6 pts
6. Somalia 0 pts

Matchday 5: Guinea vs Somalia, Mozambique vs Uganda, Botswana vs Algeria.

Matchday 6: Uganda vs Guinea, Algeria vs Mozambique, Botswana vs Somalia.

Group H

1. Tunisia 10 pts
2. Namibia 8 pts
3. Liberia 7 pts
4. Malawi 6 pts
5. Equatorial Guinea 3 pts
6. São Tomé and Príncipe 0 pts

Matchday 5: Equatorial Guinea vs São Tomé, Malawi vs Namibia, Liberia vs Tunisia.

Matchday 6: Namibia vs Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia vs Malawi, Liberia vs São Tomé.

Group I

1. Comoros 9 pts
2. Ghana 9 pts
3. Madagascar 7 pts
4. Mali 5 pts
5. Central African Republic 4 pts
6. Chad 0 pts

Matchday 5: Ghana vs Chad, CAR vs Madagascar, Comoros vs Mali.

Matchday 6: Madagascar vs Ghana, CAR vs Mali, Comoros vs Chad.

Looking Ahead

With Arab teams strongly positioned across several groups, the March qualifiers will be crucial in determining which nations edge closer to World Cup qualification.

Heavyweights Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Cameroon are in pole positions while Sudan, Libya and Comoros look to cause surprises.

Khaled Hegazy |

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Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.