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With the 2022 World Cup still fresh in the memory – not least Morocco‘s outstanding run to the semifinals – the Road to 2026 begins apace this week, with Africa’s sides beginning the continental qualifying programme.
It’s a new-look format this time around, as the continent rejigs in order to accommodate those long-awaited extra qualifying berths for the tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico.
However, expect old rivalries will be explored once again and familiar faces will once more get the opportunity for a final shot at a spot on the grandest stage of all.
Historic expansion
Since Africa’s representation at the World Cup was expanded to five teams for 1998, the continent’s participation has been unchanged – with the only exception being the move to six CAF sides in 2021, with the tournament hosted by South Africa.
That is, of course, until now, with FIFA’s ratification of an expanded 48 teams – up from 32 – now opening the door for nine automatic African qualifiers, and a tenth team having the opportunity to enter the inter-confederation playoffs.
Predictably, understandably, there are critics on all sides. Some argue that CAF’s 53 federations are still under-represented by nine automatic slots when UEFA (55 federations) or CONMEBOL (10) have 24 places between them, while others again claim that the addition of an extra 16 teams – including at least four more from Africa – will dilute the quality and prestige of the quadrennial tournament.
For Africa’s players, teams and supporters, however, the math is very straightforward; your side’s chances of making the World Cup have now almost doubled, and for many, the prospect of reaching the Mondial has never felt closer.
Gianni Infantino feels African club football should be levelling up after Mamelodi Sundowns became the inaugural champions of the African Football League.
New format
An expanded field naturally means a reconfigured qualification campaign and gone, unfortunately, are the four-team groups that served up some absolutely marvellous matchdays in recent World Cup programmes.
Now, the continent’s 53 sides still standing – Eritrea have already withdrawn due to resistance back home – have been pooled into eight groups of six and one of five.
All sides in a group will play each other home and away in round-robin forward between now and October 2025, with the group winners advancing automatically to the tri-state tournament.
The four best second-placed teams will also progress to playoff in November 2025, with the victors advancing to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Should an African team qualify via this method – as the continent’s 10th representatives – they will likely need to play up to 16 matches to qualify.
Africa Cup of Nations warm-ups
While this international break marks the beginning of a three-year World Cup odyssey, there’s no avoiding the spectre of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in two months’ time in the Cote d’Ivoire.
All of Africa’s top contenders will surely have one eye on refining their tactics, sharpening understanding and exploring team options during this valuable international break, and one or two managers may find their federation presidents asking uncomfortable questions if performances aren’t up to standard.
In the fixtures ahead of the 2019 Nations Cup, Algeria famously established the team that would go on to enjoy a 35-game undefeated streak – including continental glory in Egypt – while Senegal set the tone ahead of their AFCON success in 2022 by vanquishing their World Cup qualifying opponents in late ’21.
Familiar faces return
André Ayew‘s inclusion in Chris Hughton’s Ghana squad for their November fixtures represents the biggest African ‘comeback’ of the international break. He has still been included in the fold despite not playing since the end of last season, having only found a new club – Le Havre – on November 11.
Hughton did without Ayew for both of the international windows in September and October, but has been handed a reprieve – and retains the armband — regardless of his recent inactivity.
“Dede is still a very good player and still somebody that can be the best player in training,” Hughton told BBC Sport. “He’s somebody who has an added importance because he’s captain – he is a very good influence to the younger players.
“It’s not just about his playing ability, it’s for what he means to the squad.”
Ghana’s meeting with Comoros November 17 may hold some bad memories for Ayew, with the veteran dismissed against the islanders during the 2022 Nations Cup, as the Black Stars slumped to a 3-2 Garoua defeat that saw them dumped out of the tournament.
Big names absent
While Ayew makes his comeback, some of the continent’s biggest stars will be missing for the upcoming CAF double date.
Vincent Aboubakar, a Nations Cup champion in 2017, had appeared primed to make his return for Cameroon, despite recently suffering from a fever, but the skipper has now pulled out after suffering a thigh complaint while in action for Besiktas.
The Indomitable Lions are also without Olivier Keman and Harold Moukoudi, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting hasn’t been considered by Rigobert Song after falling out of favour at Bayern Munich.
While Ghana welcome back Ayew, they’ll be without Thomas Partey, whose injury woes continue at Arsenal. The midfielder hasn’t featured for the Gunners since early October, and his return may not come in time to represent the Black Stars at the Nations Cup.
Finally, one of the biggest African stars of the last decade and beyond, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang‘s on-again off-again relationship with Gabon appears to be on ice, as he was conspicuous by his absence from Thierry Mouyouma’s squad.
Problems in the Panthers’ camp
While Aubameyang – sometimes talisman, sometimes torment of the national side – didn’t make the trip this time, two of his erstwhile teammates have already been sent home from the camp for disciplinary reasons.
Ex-Sunderland man Didier Ibrahim Ndong and FC Cincinnati‘s Aaron Boupendza should have been two of the more experienced heads in this Gabon camp, but both were sent home after poor behaviour.
Despite arriving in the Gabonese capital of Libreville, neither player seemingly bothered to catch their domestic connecting flights to Bongoville, in the country’s far east, and were duly ‘asked to rejoin their clubs due to indiscipline’.
The move is part of a new ‘paradigm of discipline’ put in place by head coach Mouyouma following years of underachievement.
Under-pressure managers
Aforementioned duo Hughton and Song are among the head coaches seemingly under pressure already heading into the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign, following less-than-stellar track records in 2023.
On the back of group-stage exits in Qatar, both Ghana and Cameroon have struggled to impress throughout 2023, with the former thoroughly outclassed by Mexico (2-0) and the USA (4-0), before only scraping past the Central African Republic at home last month.
Cameroon, like Ghana, have a continental image and a weight of expectation to uphold, while federation president Samuel Eto’o may not be inclined to continue tolerating the inconsistency the team have endured during ‘Tonton’ Rigobert’s tenure.
The Lions have won only one of their six senior matches in 2023 so far, and Eto’o’s relationship with the man he replaced as Cameroon skipper may be tested if the Lions aren’t looking much sharper as the AFCON approaches.
No Osimhen, no problem
His impressive return in the Ballon d’Or ranking aside, these are testing months for Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, who has had to endure injury, a dispute with club side Napoli, and endless speculation about his future.
He’d scored three in his last four matches before a thigh injury sustained while on international duty last month, and the attacker has again missed out this time around. His absence is a significant blow for Nigeria – who are also without Samuel Chukwueze and Ahmed Musa – but it also represents an opportunity for the Super Eagles’ overflowing ranks of supreme attacking talent, any of whom could step up to make the most of a big opportunity.
With Lesotho and Zimbabwe unlikely to offer the sternest resistance, any of Taiwo Awoniyi, Terem Moffi, Ademola Lookman, Samir Umar and Kelechi Iheanacho could see this as a prime chance to secure a starting berth ahead of the AFCON.
Nathan Tella, catching the eye with his pace and movement at Bayer Leverkusen, could be in line for a debut, while his club teammate Victor Boniface, who made his international debut in September, could be primed to break his international duck.
The 22-year-old has been a revelation in the Bundesliga since signing from Union Saint-Gilloise, netting seven and registering a further five assists in 11 Germán top flight outings so far.
