Football: World Cup qualifying seeding in Africa

Seeding for 2026 World Cup Africa qualifying draw in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast on Wednesday (finals appearances in brackets):

Pot 1

Morocco (6), Senegal (3), Tunisia (6), Algeria (4), Egypt (3), Nigeria (6), Cameroon (8), Mali, Ivory Coast (3)

Pot 2

Burkina Faso, Ghana (4), South Africa (3), Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo (1), Guinea, Zambia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea

Pot 3

Uganda, Benin, Mauritania, Kenya, Congo Brazzaville, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Angola (1)

Pot 4

Mozambique, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo (1), Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Malawi, Libya

Pot 5

Niger, Comoros, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Botswana, Liberia

Pot 6

Lesotho, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome e Principe, Djibouti, Seychelles, Eritrea, Somalia

— Groups will consist of one nation from each pot

— Nine group winners qualify for World Cup in Canada, Mexico and United States

— Best four group runners-up enter play-offs and winners qualify for inter-confederation tournament

Matchdays

1, 2: Nov 13-21, 2023

3, 4: June 3-11, 2024

5, 6: Mar 17-25, 2025

7, 8: Sept 1-9, 2025

9, 10: Oct 6-14, 2025

Play-offs

Nov 10-18, 2025

Note: Zimbabwe suspended by FIFA since Feb 2022 over government interference in football