The African qualifiers for the upcoming FIFA World Cup finals are a lengthy process that will span over two years. However, holding two rounds of matches during the next week will provide an early indication of the teams that will represent the African continent in the 2026 edition of the finals in North America.
In the expanded 48-team tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, Africa is set to be represented by at least nine teams. This is a significant increase from the five teams in the 2022 Qatar tournament. Additionally, there is a possibility of an extra team participating through the qualifiers.
The qualifiers commenced last November with the first two rounds of matches, and the qualifying rounds will resume next Wednesday with two new rounds. These two new rounds will conclude by Tuesday, June 11.
The Atlas Lions face difficult challenges
The Moroccan national team is facing tough tests after reaching the semi-finals in the recent African football finals in Qatar. They will host the Zambian national team in Agadir next Friday in Group E, and then play away against Congo in the middle of next week.
The positive results that Morocco achieves will help make up for the disappointment of their early exit from the African Cup of Nations finals in Côte d’Ivoire last January. The team was considered a strong candidate to win the title.
The Moroccan national team includes player Ayoub El Kaabi, who performed exceptionally and helped his Greek team, Olympiacos, secure its first European Championship title last Wednesday.
An upcoming clash between Nigeria and South Africa
Nigeria and South Africa will face each other once more after their encounter in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations in Uyo during Group C.
Nigeria’s most recent home qualifier in November ended in an embarrassing draw against Lesotho, a lesser-known team in world football. Nigerian Napoli striker Victor Osimhen will be absent from Friday’s match due to injury.
South Africa has called up Burnley’s English player, Lyle Foster, who is rejoining the team after taking a break for several weeks due to mental health issues last year.
The African champion faces Gabon
Côte d’Ivoire, the African champion, will host Gabon and then play away against Kenya in Group Six, after winning the first two matches they played.
The Côte d’Ivoire squad features Sebastien Haller, who came on as a substitute for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final against Real Madrid last Saturday, a match that ended in a victory for the Spanish side.
Crises surround Cameroon
In the same context, there have been some disagreements surrounding the nomination of Cameroon’s new coach.
Initially, the Ministry of Sports chose Belgian Marc Brace as the new coach back in April. However, Eto’o rejected this choice publicly. After a series of disagreements, Eto’o has now accepted Brace as the new coach..
These disagreements have caused some disruption in the country’s national team’s preparations for their upcoming matches against Cape Verde and Angola.
Luis Boa Morte will begin his career as coach of the Guinea-Bissau national team after giving up the job of assistant coach at Fulham, England, by playing two qualifying matches against Ethiopia on Thursday and Egypt next Monday.
Boa Morte said at the beginning of this week: “It is not easy to qualify for the World Cup, and the path to achieving this goal is difficult, but it is not impossible for a country like ours.”
