By Olamide Abe
Nigeria will take on Gabon in the semi-finals of the African section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs, following the conclusion of the qualifying group matches on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles booked their place after a 4–0 victory over Benin earlier in the day, while Gabon confirmed second place in Group F with a 2–0 win against Burundi and Ivory Coast’s thumping of Kenya to win the group.
DR Congo also sealed their qualification with a narrow 1–0 win over Sudan to finish runners-up in Group B behind Senegal, with Cameroon joining them after placing second in Group D behind Cape Verde.
The play-offs, which will feature the four best runners-up from the nine African qualifying groups, are scheduled to take place in Morocco from November 13 to 16.
Nigeria, expected to remain the highest-ranked African side among the four when FIFA releases its updated rankings on October 23, will face the lowest-ranked team among the four, Gabon.
Cameroon and DR Congo will contest the other semi-final.
Both semi-finals will be played on November 13, with the winners meeting three days later in a single-leg final.
The overall winner will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026 for a chance to qualify for the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The matches will be played as single-leg knockouts in a venue to be determined by CAF later.
If tied after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time will follow, and if the scores remain level, a penalty shoot-out will decide the winner.
Morocco will host the mini-tournament, which gives Africa an additional opportunity to secure a place at the expanded 48-team World Cup.
All nine African group winners have already qualified directly for next year’s finals, while the play-offs will determine whether the continent can add one more representative through the inter-continental route.
