In their quest to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup held in North America, South Africa’s national football team, Bafana Bafana, will face the formidable Nigerian squad.
The tournament, which is expected to accommodate 48 teams instead of the previous 32, will be jointly hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Africa has been allocated ten guaranteed spots for the competition.
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Under the leadership of coach Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana finds themselves drawn into Group C alongside Nigeria, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Lesotho.
To secure a direct qualification, the team must emerge victorious in their group. Meanwhile, the four best runners-up will enter a playoff, where the ultimate winner will claim a place in North America.
South Africa last qualified for the World Cup in 2002 when Carlos Queiroz led the team to the finals in Japan and South Korea with relative ease.
Achieving qualification this time would mark a significant milestone for the nation. Excitement builds as the qualifiers are set to commence during the first weekend of November.
Here are the groups and teams for the African World Cup qualifiers:
Group A:
- Egypt
- Burkina Faso
- Guinea-Bissau
- Sierra Leone
- Ethiopia
- Djibouti
Group B:
- Senegal
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Mauritania
- Togo
- Sudan
- South Sudan
Group C:
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Benin
- Zimbabwe
- Rwanda
- Lesotho
Group D:
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Angola
- Libya
- Eswatini
- Mauritius
Group E:
- Morocco
- Zambia
- Congo Brazzaville
- Tanzania
- Niger
- Eritrea
Group F:
- Ivory Coast
- Gabon
- Kenya
- Gambia
- Burundi
- Seychelles
Group G:
- Algeria
- Guinea
- Uganda
- Mozambique
- Botswana
- Somalia
Group H:
- Tunisia
- Equatorial Guinea
- Namibia
- Malawi
- Liberia
- Sao Tome e Principe
Group I:
- Mali
- Ghana
- Madagascar
- Central African Republic
- Comoros
- Chad
The matchdays are scheduled as follows:
Matchdays 1 and 2: November 13-21, 2023
Matchdays 3 and 4: June 3-11, 2024
Matchdays 5 and 6: March 17-25, 2025
Matchdays 7 and 8: September 1-9, 2025
Matchdays 9 and 10: October 6-14, 2025
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The play-offs are set to take place from November 10-18, 2025, determining the final African representative for the 2026 World Cup.
With this captivating lineup and intense competition ahead, fans eagerly anticipate the thrilling matches that will unfold as countries vie for the chance to compete on the world’s biggest football stage.
