The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the full schedule for the African qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Inter-Continental Play-off tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria's Super Eagles will open the mini-tournament against Gabon in Rabat, Morocco.
The tournament, scheduled for 13–16 November 2025, will see Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, and DR Congo battle for the right to represent Africa in the Inter-Continental Play-offs in March 2026.
The Inter-Continental Play-offs in March 2026 is the final step toward securing the continent’s tenth World Cup slot.
CAF, in collaboration with hosts Morocco, announced that the matches will take place across two venues: the El Barid Stadium and Prince Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex in Rabat. A draw on 30 October 2025 will determine which semi-final is hosted in which stadium.
Nigeria, who finished runners-up to South Africa in Group C, benefited from Eritrea’s withdrawal, which reshaped the standings and kept their qualification hopes alive. The Super Eagles’ journey now takes them to Morocco, where they will face Gabon at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, 13 November.
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Africa: Nigeria eye redemption as Gabon chase history
For Nigeria, this encounter is about redemption and restoration. Having missed out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the three-time African champions are determined to reclaim their spot on the global stage.
Head coach Eric Chelle will be eager to see his side respond with conviction after an uneven qualifying campaign.
Their opponents, Gabon, are on a mission of their own. The Panthers have never qualified for a World Cup and will see this as a golden opportunity to rewrite their footballing history. They finished just one point behind African champions Ivory Coast in Group F and are blessed with the talents of one of Africa’s greatest goalscorers, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
This fixture is the 10th meeting between Nigeria and Gabon. Nigeria have won five of the previous nine clashes, drawn three, and lost just once – a 2-1 defeat in a World Cup qualifier in 1989. Interestingly, neither team made it to Italia ’90.
The Super Eagles’ most recent win came in 2005, when they secured a 2-0 victory over the Panthers in another World Cup qualifier, though both sides again failed to qualify for the finals.
The second semi-final, also set for 13 November, will feature Cameroon against the Democratic Republic of Congo at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).
The winners of both semi-finals will clash in the final at Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium on Sunday, 16 November 2025, with kickoff at 20:00 local time.
Only one nation will advance from this four-team showdown to the FIFA Inter-Continental Play-off in March 2026, where a single victory would seal Africa’s last ticket to the expanded 48-team World Cup in North America.
