2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

Last updated

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
2022 FIFA World Cup African qualification.png
Tournament details
Dates4 September 2019 – 29 March 2022
Teams54 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played158
Goals scored361 (2.28 per match)
Attendance1,229,510 (7,782 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Algeria.svg Islam Slimani
(8 goals)
2018
2026

The African section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams which are members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). A total of five slots in the final tournament were available for CAF teams. [1]

Contents

Format

A previous proposal to merge the qualification rounds for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with those for the World Cup was turned down after a CAF meeting on 11 June 2018. [2]

CAF reverted to the format used for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification competition. [3]

Entrants

All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification. The FIFA World Rankings of July 2019 were used to determine which nations would compete in the first round. For seeding in the second and third round draws, the most recent FIFA Rankings prior to those draws were used.

Libya was threatened with exclusion from the qualifiers if it failed to pay debts to their former coach Javier Clemente. However, Libya complied after FIFA gave them a new deadline. [4] Sierra Leone also faced possible exclusion from the qualifiers due to the suspension of their football association. [5] However, the suspension was lifted by the FIFA Council on 3 June 2019. [6]

From the July 2019 FIFA World Rankings [7]
Bye to the second round
(ranked 1st to 26th)
Competing in first round
(ranked 27th to 54th)
  1. Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal (20)
  2. Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia (29)
  3. Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria (33)
  4. Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria (40)
  5. Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco (41)
  6. Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt (46)
  7. Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana (50)
  8. Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon (53)
  9. Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo (56)
  10. Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast (57)
  11. Flag of Mali.svg  Mali (59)
  12. Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso (61)
  13. Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa (70)
  14. Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea (75)
  15. Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde (76)
  16. Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda (80)
  17. Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia (81)
  18. Flag of Benin.svg  Benin (82)
  19. Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon (90)
  20. Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo (91)
  21. Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar (96)
  22. Flag of Niger.svg  Niger (104)
  23. Flag of Libya.svg  Libya (105)
  24. Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania (106)
  25. Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya (107)
  26. Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic (111)
  1. Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe (112)
  2. Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone (114)
  3. Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique (116)
  4. Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia (121)
  5. Flag of Angola.svg  Angola (122)
  6. Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau (123)
  7. Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi (126)
  8. Flag of Togo.svg  Togo (128)
  9. Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan (129)
  10. Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda (133)
  11. Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania (137)
  12. Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea (139)
  13. Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini (139)
  14. Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho (144)
  15. Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros (146)
  16. Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana (147)
  17. Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi (148)
  18. Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia (150)
  19. Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia (152)
  20. Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius (157)
  21. Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia (161)
  22. Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan (169)
  23. Flag of Chad.svg  Chad (175)
  24. Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe (185)
  25. Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles (192)
  26. Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti (195)
  27. Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia (202)
  28. Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea (202)

Schedule

Below is the schedule of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, according to the FIFA International Match Calendar. [8] [9] After the rescheduling of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final tournament from June/July to January/February, the dates of the matchdays 1–2 of the second round were also rescheduled. [10] Because of the interruption of the competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the schedule of the second and third round was revised again and on 19 August 2020 CAF announced the new dates for the aforementioned rounds. [11]

StageMatchdayDates
First round First leg4–7 September 2019
Second leg8–10 September 2019
Second round Matchday 11–3 September 2021 [lower-alpha 1]
Matchday 25–7 September 2021 [lower-alpha 2]
Matchday 36–9 October 2021 [lower-alpha 3]
Matchday 410–12 October 2021 [lower-alpha 3]
Matchday 511–13 November 2021 [lower-alpha 4]
Matchday 614–16 November 2021 [lower-alpha 5]
Third round First leg24–26 March 2022
Second leg27–29 March 2022
  1. Matchday 1 originally scheduled for 23–31 March 2020, later for 5–13 October 2020.
  2. Matchday 2 originally scheduled for 1–9 June 2020, later for 9–17 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 Matchday 3 and 4 originally scheduled for 22–30 March 2021.
  4. Matchday 5 originally scheduled for 30 August – 7 September 2021.
  5. Matchday 6 originally scheduled for 4–12 October 2021.

First round

The draw for the first round was held on 29 July 2019 at 12:00 EST (UTC+2), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. [12] [13]

Team 1 Agg. Team 21st leg2nd leg
Ethiopia  Flag of Ethiopia.svg1–1 (a)Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 0–0 1–1
Somalia  Flag of Somalia.svg2–3Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 1–0 1–3
Eritrea  Flag of Eritrea.svg1–4Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 1–2 0–2
Burundi  Flag of Burundi.svg2–2 (0–3 p)Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 1–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Djibouti  Flag of Djibouti.svg2–1Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 2–1 0–0
Botswana  Flag of Botswana.svg0–1Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 0–0 0–1
Gambia  Flag of The Gambia.svg1–3Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 0–1 1–2
Liberia  Flag of Liberia.svg3–2Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 3–1 0–1
Mauritius  Flag of Mauritius.svg0–3Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 0–1 0–2
São Tomé and Príncipe  Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg1–3Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau 0–1 1–2
South Sudan  Flag of South Sudan.svg1–2Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 1–1 0–1
Comoros  Flag of the Comoros.svg1–3Flag of Togo.svg  Togo 1–1 0–2
Chad  Flag of Chad.svg1–3Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 1–3 0–0
Seychelles  Flag of Seychelles.svg0–10Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 0–3 0–7

Second round

The draw for the second round was held on 21 January 2020, 19:00 CAT (UTC+2), at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Cairo, Egypt. [14]

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Algeria.svgFlag of Burkina Faso.svgFlag of Niger.svgFlag of Djibouti.svg
1Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 6420254+2114Advance to third round 2–2 6–1 8–0
2Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 6330124+812 1–1 1–1 2–0
3Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 6213131747 0–4 0–2 7–2
4Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti 6006429250 0–4 0–4 2–4
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Tunisia.svgFlag of Equatorial Guinea.svgFlag of Zambia.svgFlag of Mauritania.svg
1Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 6411112+913Advance to third round 3–0 3–1 3–0
2Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 632165+111 1–0 2–0 1–0
3Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 62138917 0–2 1–1 4–0
4Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania 602421192 0–0 1–1 1–2
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Nigeria.svgFlag of Cape Verde.svgFlag of Liberia.svgFlag of the Central African Republic.svg
1Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 641193+613Advance to third round 1–1 2–0 0–1
2Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 632186+211 1–2 1–0 2–1
3Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 62045836 0–2 1–2 3–1
4Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic 61144954 0–2 1–1 0–1
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Cameroon.svgFlag of Cote d'Ivoire.svgFlag of Mozambique.svgFlag of Malawi.svg
1Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 6501123+915Advance to third round 1–0 3–1 2–0
2Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 6411103+713 2–1 3–0 2–1
3Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 61142864 0–1 0–0 1–0
4Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 6105212103 0–4 0–3 1–0
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Mali.svgFlag of Uganda.svgFlag of Kenya.svgFlag of Rwanda.svg
1Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 6510110+1116Advance to third round 1–0 5–0 1–0
2Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 623132+19 0–0 1–1 1–0
3Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 61324956 0–1 0–0 2–1
4Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 60152971 0–3 0–1 1–1
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Egypt.svgFlag of Gabon.svgFlag of Libya.svgFlag of Angola.svg
1Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 6420104+614Advance to third round 2–1 1–0 1–0
2Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 62137817 1–1 1–0 2–0
3Flag of Libya.svg  Libya 62134737 0–3 2–1 1–1
4Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 61236825 2–2 3–1 0–1
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Ghana.svgFlag of South Africa.svgFlag of Ethiopia.svgFlag of Zimbabwe.svg
1Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 641173+413Advance to third round 1–0 1–0 3–1
2Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 641162+413 1–0 1–0 1–0
3Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 61234735 1–1 1–3 1–0
4Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 60242752 0–1 0–0 1–1
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Senegal.svgFlag of Togo.svgFlag of Namibia.svgFlag of the Republic of the Congo.svg
1Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 6510154+1116Advance to third round 2–0 4–1 2–0
2Flag of Togo.svg  Togo 62225618 1–1 0–1 1–1
3Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 612351055 1–3 0–1 1–1
4Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 603351053 1–3 1–2 1–1
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group I

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Morocco.svgFlag of Guinea-Bissau.svgFlag of Guinea.svgFlag of Sudan.svg
1Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 6600201+1918Advance to third round 5–0 3–0 2–0
2Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau 613251166 0–3 1–1 0–0
3Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 604251164 1–4 0–0 2–2
4Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 603351273 0–3 2–4 1–1
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group J

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svgFlag of Benin.svgFlag of Tanzania.svgFlag of Madagascar.svg
1Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 632193+611Advance to third round 2–0 1–1 2–0
2Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 631254+110 1–1 0–1 2–0
3Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 62226828 0–3 0–1 3–2
4Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 61144954 1–0 0–1 1–1
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Third round

The ten group winners from the second round were drawn into five home-and-away ties, with the teams seeded based on FIFA World Rankings. The draw was held on 22 January 2022 in Douala, Cameroon. [15] The lower ranked team played the first leg at home. The winners of each fixture qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Team 1 Agg. Team 21st leg2nd leg
Egypt  Flag of Egypt.svg1–1 (1–3 p)Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Cameroon  Flag of Cameroon.svg2–2 (a)Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 0–1 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Ghana  Flag of Ghana.svg1–1 (a)Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 0–0 1–1
DR Congo  Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg2–5Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 1–1 1–4
Mali  Flag of Mali.svg0–1Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 0–1 0–0

Qualified teams

The following five teams from CAF qualified for the final tournament.

TeamQualified asQualified onPrevious appearances in FIFA World Cup
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Third round winners29 March 20223 (2006, 2010, 2014)
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal Third round winners29 March 20222 (2002, 2018)
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia Third round winners29 March 20225 (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018)
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Third round winners29 March 20225 (1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018)
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Third round winners29 March 20227 (1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014)

Top goalscorers

There were 362 goals scored in 158 matches, for an average of 2.29 goals per match.

8 goals

5 goals

4 goals

Below are full goalscorer lists for each round:

Media coverage

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) coverage
CountryTelevision Channel
Flag of France.svg  France L'Équipe
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Sportdigital
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia SSC
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway V Sport Football
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain ESPN

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