The tenth and final round of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup has concluded, determining the nine teams that have secured direct qualification, while others now await the African playoffs for another chance to reach the tournament. The qualifiers featured 54 teams, divided into nine groups of six, competing in a home-and-away format. The top team in each group earned direct qualification for the finals, which will be held across Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Nine nations have officially booked their spots at the World Cup: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and South Africa. The teams that finished second in their groups—Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria—will have a final opportunity to qualify through the African playoffs. This playoff stage will take place in Morocco, in a mini-tournament format featuring semifinals and a final. The winner will advance to the intercontinental playoff, which will bring together six teams from different confederations competing for the last two places at the 2026 World Cup. Notably, the 2026 edition will mark the first time in history that the tournament features 48 teams instead of 32, making it the largest World Cup ever in terms of participation.
