Bafana World Cup route outlined

Bafana Bafana now know who they will face in the 2026 FIFA World Cup CAF Qualifiers after the draw was conducted on Thursday.

South Africa have been drawn in Group C alongside fierce rivals Nigeria, neighbours Lesetho and Zambia, Rwanda, and Benin.

President of the South African Football Association (SAFA)  Dr Danny Jordaan, Vice-President Bennett Bailey and CEO Lydia Monyepao were in attendance as Bafana’s opponents were unveiled. The three leaders are in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, for the 45th CAF Ordinary General Assembly.

There are nine groups in total, with the winners of each group securing automatic qualification for the World Cup, while a play-off stage for the four best group runners-up determines who will represent Africa in an inter-confederation tournament in March 2026.

The first round of fixtures for African qualifiers will take place in November.

The global showpiece in 2026 will be hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

 

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.