The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been grouped alongside South Africa, Benin Republic, Rwanda, Lesotho and Zimbabwe in the CAF qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The draw for the CAF qualifiers was held at the 45th Ordinary General Assembly in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire on Thursday.
Having missed out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Super Eagles will look to make a return to football’s biggest tournament in 2026.
Nigeria lost to Ghana on away goal rule (1-1) after the first leg in Kumasi ended goalless at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
The new qualifying format will see teams drawn into nine groups of six teams to play home-and-away matches with only one team qualifying automatically for the World Cup in 2026.
The four best runners-up (from the Groups) will play in a CAF Play-Off tournament. The winner of the CAF Play-Off Tournament will play in the FIFA Play-off Tournament to potentially be the 10th African nation.
The new qualifying format is due to the number of teams that will participate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2026 World Cup will see 48 teams compete which is an increase from the 32 teams format which has been used since the 1998 World Cup in France.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by three teams: the United States, Mexico and Canada for the first time in history. The tournament will take place between Thu, 11 Jun 2026 – Sun, 19 Jul 2026.
