2026 World Cup - African qualifiers

[amenina]

Group stage matchday 1 fixtures, 18 November 2023

[amenina]

Group stage matchday 1 results, 18 November 2023

Report: https://www.cafonline.com/news/mane-bra ... ualifying/

[amenina]

So matchday 1 is in the books. 52 of the 53 teams started their WCQ journey, apart from Morocco whose opponents Ertirea withdrew. Here is a brief summary by the seeding matchups.

1 vs 6
Only top seed who dropped points in the "easiest" match is Nigeria, who drew with Lesotho at home.

2 vs 3
An important battle to set the early tone to see who will be the closest challenger to the top seed. And the second seeds came up out with 7 wins out of 9, with only Burkina Faso (vs Guinea-Bissau) and Cape Verde (vs Angola) drawing their first home match.

5 vs 4
These teams will be huge outsiders to enter the top two to have a chance for WC qualification. And the end results are pretty even: 3 draws (Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone, Sudan vs Togo, Rwanda vs Zimbawe), 4 away wins (Libya beat Eswatini, Tanzania beat Niger, Mozambique beat Botswana, Malawi beat Liberia), and 2 home wins (Burundi beat The Gambia, Comoros beat Central African Republic).

For matchday 2, the top three seeds will all be playing away: 4 vs 1, 5 vs 2, 6 vs 3.

[Jackson Harrison]

So matchday 1 is in the books. 52 of the 53 teams started their WCQ journey, apart from Morocco whose opponents Ertirea withdrew. Here is a brief summary by the seeding matchups.

1 vs 6
Only top seed who dropped points in the "easiest" match is Nigeria, who drew with Lesotho at home.

2 vs 3
An important battle to set the early tone to see who will be the closest challenger to the top seed. And the second seeds came up out with 7 wins out of 9, with only Burkina Faso (vs Guinea-Bissau) and Cape Verde (vs Angola) drawing their first home match.

5 vs 4
These teams will be huge outsiders to enter the top two to have a chance for WC qualification. And the end results are pretty even: 3 draws (Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone, Sudan vs Togo, Rwanda vs Zimbawe), 4 away wins (Libya beat Eswatini, Tanzania beat Niger, Mozambique beat Botswana, Malawi beat Liberia), and 2 home wins (Burundi beat The Gambia, Comoros beat Central African Republic).

For matchday 2, the top three seeds will all be playing away: 4 vs 1, 5 vs 2, 6 vs 3.

That's a weird opening sequence.

[amenina]

So matchday 1 is in the books. 52 of the 53 teams started their WCQ journey, apart from Morocco whose opponents Ertirea withdrew. Here is a brief summary by the seeding matchups.

1 vs 6
Only top seed who dropped points in the "easiest" match is Nigeria, who drew with Lesotho at home.

2 vs 3
An important battle to set the early tone to see who will be the closest challenger to the top seed. And the second seeds came up out with 7 wins out of 9, with only Burkina Faso (vs Guinea-Bissau) and Cape Verde (vs Angola) drawing their first home match.

5 vs 4
These teams will be huge outsiders to enter the top two to have a chance for WC qualification. And the end results are pretty even: 3 draws (Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone, Sudan vs Togo, Rwanda vs Zimbawe), 4 away wins (Libya beat Eswatini, Tanzania beat Niger, Mozambique beat Botswana, Malawi beat Liberia), and 2 home wins (Burundi beat The Gambia, Comoros beat Central African Republic).

For matchday 2, the top three seeds will all be playing away: 4 vs 1, 5 vs 2, 6 vs 3.

That's a weird opening sequence.

One team (Team 5) will play two home matches in this window, while another team (Team 3) will play two away matches in this windows. The other four teams will play one home match and one away match each.

[amenina]

Standings after matchday 1

[amenina]

Group stage matchday 2 fixtures, 19 November 2023

[Jackson Harrison]

So matchday 1 is in the books. 52 of the 53 teams started their WCQ journey, apart from Morocco whose opponents Ertirea withdrew. Here is a brief summary by the seeding matchups.

1 vs 6
Only top seed who dropped points in the "easiest" match is Nigeria, who drew with Lesotho at home.

2 vs 3
An important battle to set the early tone to see who will be the closest challenger to the top seed. And the second seeds came up out with 7 wins out of 9, with only Burkina Faso (vs Guinea-Bissau) and Cape Verde (vs Angola) drawing their first home match.

5 vs 4
These teams will be huge outsiders to enter the top two to have a chance for WC qualification. And the end results are pretty even: 3 draws (Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone, Sudan vs Togo, Rwanda vs Zimbawe), 4 away wins (Libya beat Eswatini, Tanzania beat Niger, Mozambique beat Botswana, Malawi beat Liberia), and 2 home wins (Burundi beat The Gambia, Comoros beat Central African Republic).

For matchday 2, the top three seeds will all be playing away: 4 vs 1, 5 vs 2, 6 vs 3.

That's a weird opening sequence.

One team (Team 5) will play two home matches in this window, while another team (Team 3) will play two away matches in this windows. The other four teams will play one home match and one away match each.

I know, why can't all 6 play 1 home and 1 away?

[amenina]

That's a weird opening sequence.

One team (Team 5) will play two home matches in this window, while another team (Team 3) will play two away matches in this windows. The other four teams will play one home match and one away match each.

I know, why can't all 6 play 1 home and 1 away?

No idea honestly. It's very CAF.

[Jackson Harrison]

One team (Team 5) will play two home matches in this window, while another team (Team 3) will play two away matches in this windows. The other four teams will play one home match and one away match each.

I know, why can't all 6 play 1 home and 1 away?

No idea honestly. It's very CAF.

Isn't this FIFA's making?

[amenina]

I know, why can't all 6 play 1 home and 1 away?

No idea honestly. It's very CAF.

Isn't this FIFA's making?

The fixture lists are decided by the confederations themselves. For example, UEFA decide the fixture list of the European qualifiers.

Now, there is no requirement that each team has to play one home match and one away match in each window. For example, in the European qualifiers, the winter countries play two away matches in March and in November due to the cold weather.

[Firnen]

After Leshoto, Zimbabwe also gets a point from Nigeria.

We have a candidate group for the favourite to fail here - big chance for South Africa.

[dopeisland]

After Leshoto, Zimbabwe also gets a point from Nigeria.

We have a candidate group for the favourite to fail here - big chance for South Africa.

Already they've dropped as the odds-on favorite for the group. And not great odds to make the playoff at this rate either

[amenina]

Group stage matchday 2 results, 19 November 2023

Report: https://www.cafonline.com/news/2026-wor ... geria-win/

[Eurofootballgeek]

After Leshoto, Zimbabwe also gets a point from Nigeria.

We have a candidate group for the favourite to fail here - big chance for South Africa.

Already they've dropped as the odds-on favorite for the group. And not great odds to make the playoff at this rate either

Where do you get these stats? Do you have a link for the other groups?