World Cup 2026 – African playoffs: What awaits the winner? | OneFootball

What you need to know about the African playoffs for the 2026 World Cup

RD Congo/@Radio Okapi

The African zone playoffs for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in mid-November in Rabat, Morocco.

Four teams will battle for a single ticket to the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament. Three matches are scheduled, following a knockout format.

The semi-finals will see Cameroon take on the Democratic Republic of Congo on one side, and Nigeria face Gabon on the other, on November 13. The winners will meet three days later in the final.

The winner will move on to the intercontinental playoffs alongside five other teams from different confederations. These six nations will compete for the last two available spots at the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Alongside the African representative, the intercontinental playoffs will feature two teams from Concacaf, one from the AFC, one from CONMEBOL (Bolivia), and one from the OFC (New Caledonia).

The four lowest-ranked teams in the FIFA rankings will face off in the semi-finals, while the two highest-ranked teams will receive direct byes to the final round.

The playoff tournament will be held between March 23 and 31, 2026.