World Cup 2026 Qualification Draw: Nigeria face Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic, Egypt tackle Ethiopia, Ghana play Mali

African teams have learned their opponents en route to qualifying for the quadrennial football showpiece billed for Canada, Mexico, and the United States

Nigeria will face South Africa, Benin Republic, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho  in Group C of the qualifiers for a ticket to the 2023 FIFA World Cup.

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The draw held on Thursday in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire was steered by the Confederation of African Football director of competitions Samson Adamu while Ghanaian football great Asamoah  Gyan and former Cote d’Ivoire international Emmanuel Eboue participated.

There will be 54 nations looking to qualify for the global football showpiece billed for Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, with plenty of ambitious teams that believe they can emulate the efforts from Morocco in Qatar.

The Super Eagles will reunite with former handler Gernot Rohr who handles the Squirrels while hoping to settle scores with rivals Banyana Banyana.

Reigning African champions, Senegal, will have their hands full when they take on Congo, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan and Mauritania in Group B.

Ghana must negotiate their way past Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad in Group I if they hope to make it to the tournament for the fifth time.

Having missed the last two editions, two-time African kings Algeria would be aiming to return to World Cup. Nevertheless, they must scale a huge hurdle in Guinea, Somalia, Botswana, Mozambique, Uganda in Group G.

Elsewhere,  Morocco have been zoned alongside Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger Republic and Eritrea in Group E.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification series for Africa start in November 2023.