The 2026 tournament qualification round of CAF FIFA World Cup Qualifiers will produce high-intensity matches when African soccer teams pursue entries into this prestigious competition. The inaugural qualifying stage of the competition spans March 19 until March 26 during 2025 through various group matches. Multiple significant games between Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, and Morocco are vital for qualifying in the competition. The schedule includes Nigeria vs. Zimbabwe alongside Ghana vs. Madagascar and Egypt vs. Sierra Leone matches playing throughout different days of competition. The World Cup qualifiers will use different African stadiums to decide which teams earn spots in the competition.
CAF FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Round 1 (March 19 – 22, 2025) Schedule
| Date | Time (IST) | Match | Group | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, 19 March 2025 | 9:30 PM | Central African Republic vs. Madagascar | I | Stade Larbi Zaouli, Casablanca, Morocco |
| 9:30 PM | Eswatini vs. Cameroon | D | Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa | |
| 9:30 PM | Liberia vs. Tunisia | H | Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia, Liberia | |
| Thursday, 20 March 2025 | 6:30 PM | Mozambique vs. Uganda | G | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |
| 9:30 PM | Cape Verde Islands vs. Mauritius | D | National Stadium Cape Verde, Praia | |
| 9:30 PM | Malawi vs. Namibia | H | Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi | |
| 9:30 PM | Sierra Leone vs. Guinea-Bissau | A | Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia, Liberia | |
| 9:30 PM | Zimbabwe vs. Benin | C | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa | |
| Friday, 21 March 2025 | 12:30 AM | Gabon vs. Seychelles | F | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon |
| 12:30 AM | Gambia vs. Kenya | F | Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | |
| 12:30 AM | Libya vs. Angola | D | Martyrs of February Stadium, Benina, Libya | |
| 2:30 AM | Comoros vs. Mali | I | Stade Municipal de Berkane, Berkane, Morocco | |
| 6:30 PM | Botswana vs. Algeria | G | Francistown Stadium, Francistown, Botswana | |
| 6:30 PM | Equatorial Guinea vs. São Tomé and Príncipe | H | Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | |
| 9:30 PM | Burkina Faso vs. Djibouti | A | Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi, El Jadida, Morocco | |
| 9:30 PM | Congo DR vs. South Sudan | B | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Congo DR | |
| 9:30 PM | Rwanda vs. Nigeria | C | Stade Amahoro, Kigali, Rwanda | |
| 9:30 PM | South Africa vs. Lesotho | C | Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa | |
| Saturday, 22 March 2025 | 12:30 AM | Burundi vs. Côte d’Ivoire | F | Stade d’Honneur Meknès, Meknès, Morocco |
| 12:30 AM | Ghana vs. Chad | I | Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana | |
| 2:30 AM | Ethiopia vs. Egypt | A | Stade Larbi Zaouli, Casablanca, Morocco | |
| 2:30 AM | Guinea vs. Somalia | G | Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | |
| 3:00 AM | Niger vs. Morocco | E | Stade d’Honneur d’Oujda, Oujda, Morocco | |
| 9:30 PM | Togo vs. Mauritania | B | Stade de Kégué, Lomé, Togo |
Multiple Crunch-time games will take place during the CAF FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Round 1 (March 19-22, 2025) tournament where different African nations must compete to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Teams will play vital matches at Mbombela Stadium alongside the Cairo International Stadium and Stade de Franceville and other premier football stadiums.
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CAF FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Round 1 (March 23 – 26, 2025)
| Date | Time (IST) | Match | Group | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 23 March 2025 | 12:30 AM | Sudan vs. Senegal | B | Martyrs of February Stadium, Benina, Libya |
| 6:30 PM | Kenya vs. Gabon | F | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon | |
| 6:30 PM | Eswatini vs. Mauritius | D | Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa | |
| Monday, 24 March 2025 | 6:30 PM | Namibia vs. Equatorial Guinea | H | Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |
| 9:30 PM | Guinea-Bissau vs. Burkina Faso | A | Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi, El Jadida, Morocco | |
| 9:30 PM | Central African Republic vs. Mali | I | Stade Larbi Zaouli, Casablanca, Morocco | |
| 9:30 PM | Liberia vs. São Tomé and Príncipe | H | Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia, Liberia | |
| Tuesday, 25 March 2025 | 12:30 AM | Côte d’Ivoire vs. Gambia | F | Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 12:30 AM | Madagascar vs. Ghana | I | Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana | |
| 2:30 AM | Ethiopia vs. Djibouti | A | Stade d’Honneur Meknès, Meknès, Morocco | |
| 2:30 AM | Tunisia vs. Malawi | H | Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi | |
| 9:30 PM | Nigeria vs. Zimbabwe | C | Stade Amahoro, Kigali, Rwanda | |
| 9:30 PM | Benin vs. South Africa | C | Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa | |
| 9:30 PM | Rwanda vs. Lesotho | C | Stade Amahoro, Kigali, Rwanda | |
| 9:30 PM | Angola vs. Cabo Verde | D | National Stadium Cape Verde, Praia | |
| 9:30 PM | Uganda vs. Guinea | G | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | |
| Wednesday, 26 March 2025 | 12:30 AM | Egypt vs. Sierra Leone | A | Stade Larbi Zaouli, Casablanca, Morocco |
| 12:30 AM | Sudan vs. South Sudan | B | Martyrs of February Stadium, Benina, Libya | |
| 12:30 AM | Cameroon vs. Libya | D | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Congo DR | |
| 12:30 AM | Botswana vs. Somalia | G | Francistown Stadium, Francistown, Botswana | |
| 12:30 AM | Burundi vs. Seychelles | F | Stade d’Honneur d’Oujda, Oujda, Morocco | |
| 2:30 AM | Senegal vs. Togo | B | Stade de Kégué, Lomé, Togo | |
| 2:30 AM | Mauritania vs. Congo DR | B | Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi, El Jadida, Morocco | |
| 2:30 AM | Comoros vs. Chad | I | Stade Municipal de Berkane, Berkane, Morocco | |
| 2:30 AM | Algeria vs. Mozambique | G | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | |
| 3:00 AM | Morocco vs. Tanzania | E | Stade d’Honneur d’Oujda, Oujda, Morocco |
The initial matches of CAF FIFA World Cup Qualifiers will take place during March 23-26, 2025 in competitive contests. The upcoming stage of competition will divide Africa into groups that will feature Nigeria versus Zimbabwe and Sudan versus Senegal and Cameroon versus Libya. Stadiums such as Mbombela Stadium and Accra Sports Stadium together with Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara host the matches throughout the continent.
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