The draw for the 2026 World Cup African qualifiers will take place today, Thursday, July 13 in Abidjan, with Ghana’s senior national team, the Black Stars eagerly awaiting to discover their potential opponents.
The draw will be broadcasted live on CAF digital platforms and CAFONLINE.com at 15:00 GMT. It will occur shortly after the 45th CAF Ordinary Assembly, which will be held in Abidjan.
During the draw, member associations of CAF will be divided into nine groups. The winners of each group will secure automatic qualification for the World Cup 2026. The four best runners-up from the groups will participate in a CAF Play-Off tournament, with the winner advancing to the FIFA Play-Off tournament.
Black Stars have been placed in Pot 2 for the draw. This positioning means they could potentially face their longtime rivals, Nigeria, in the qualifying campaign. Additionally, Ghana could also encounter strong opponents such as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali, and Ivory Coast.
Below are the Pots
Pot 1: Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali, Egypt, Ivory Coast
Pot 2: Ghana, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Guinea, Zambia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea
Pot 3: Angola, Benin, Kenya, Mauritania, Congo, Uganda, Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, Namibia
Pot 4: Mozambique, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Malawi, Libya
Pot 5: Niger, Comoros, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Botswana, Liberia
Pot 6: Lesotho, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome, Djibouti, Seychelles, Eritrea, Somalia
