After the qualifying group matches concluded on Tuesday, Nigeria will play Gabon in the semi-finals of the African portion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs.
Gabon secured second place in Group F with a 2-0 victory over Burundi, and Ivory Coast crushed Kenya to win the group. The Super Eagles secured their spot after defeating Benin 4-0 earlier in the day.
In addition, DR Congo qualified by defeating Sudan by a slim 1-0 margin to finish second in Group B, behind Senegal. Cameroon joined them after finishing second in Group D, behind Cape Verde.
The four top contenders from the nine African qualifier teams will compete in the play-offs, which are set for November 13–16 in Morocco.
When FIFA reveals its new rankings on October 23, Nigeria, which is predicted to remain the top-ranked African team among the four, will take on Gabon, the team with the lowest position.
The other semi-final will be contested by Cameroon and DR Congo.
On November 13, both semi-finals will take place, and the victors will face each other in a single-leg final three days later.
To qualify for the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the overall winner will go to the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026.The venues will be confirmed by CAF later, and the matches will be played as preliminary knockouts.
A penalty shootout will determine the victor if there is still a tie after 90 minutes, after which there will be 30 minutes of extra time.
Africa will have another chance to guarantee a spot in the expanded 48-team World Cup, as Morocco will host the mini-tournament.
The nine African group winners have already earned a spot in the finals of the next year, and the play-offs will decide if the continent may add another participant by way of the international route.
