How African world cup qualifiers will emerge- Analyst 

By Daniel Ebi.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has restructured its qualification process to accommodate the continent’s increased allocation of spots. 

Africa now has nine guaranteed places in the World Cup, with the possibility of a tenth team qualifying via an intercontinental play-off. 

The 54 African nations participating in the qualifiers have been divided into nine groups, each comprising six teams. 

The team that finishes at the top of each group will secure direct qualification to the World Cup. Additionally, the four best-ranked runners-up across all groups will enter a play-off stage. 

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The winner of this play-off will advance to an intercontinental play-off tournament, offering a chance to compete for a tenth World Cup spot. 

Therefore, from each of the nine African qualifying groups, only the group winner is assured a place in the 2026 World Cup.

 The second-placed teams must rely on their overall ranking among all groups to potentially progress through the play-off route.

Nigeria Super Eagles is currently in fourth position in their qualification group with a game against  Zimbabwe on Tuesday at the Godswil Akpabio stadium in uyo.