The draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for Africa will take place on July 13, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday.
The draw will take place in Ivorian capital Abidjan, and will be broadcast live on CAF’s various platforms at 4 p.m. Moroccan time, a few hours after the 45th CAF Ordinary Assembly that will also be held in Abidjan.
CAF changed the format of the qualifiers at its Executive Committee meeting in Algiers on May 18.
The new format has been adapted to the expanded FIFA World Cup and will involve CAF’s 54 member associations, divided into nine groups.
The winners of each group will automatically qualify for the 2026 tournament. The four best runners-up of each group will then play in a CAF play-off to determine who participates in the inter-continental FIFA play-off qualifiers.
The calendar for the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the final draw date for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 were both approved by the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Executive Committee on May 19.
The official draw for the 2023 AFCON will take place on October 12.
Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and Prime Minister Patrick Achi received CAF President Patrice Motsepe’s thanks for their “cooperation and commitment” to make the 2023 AFCON “world-class,” CAF said in a press release.
Ivory Coast has been chosen to host the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2023, which will provide the country a chance to “test the facilities” that would be utilized for the AFCON the following year, according to a statement from CAF.
After Morocco dropped its bid to host the event in favor of Ivory Coast’s campaign, the decision was made to give the West African country the hosting rights.
