The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed the venues, dates, and structure for the 2026 FIFA World Cup African playoff, paving the way for a deciding match in November 2025.

In a letter sent to all member federations, CAF announced that Morocco, the host country for the forthcoming AFCON 2025, will also host the African play-offs for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

According to the schedule, the semi-final matches of the four-team mini-tournament will take place on November 13, 2025, while the final will be played on November 16, 2025.

The CAF playoff competition will feature the four best runners-up from the nine qualifying groups, determined after Matchday 10 of the qualifiers.

CAF outlined that in the event of a draw, matches will proceed to extra time and, if necessary, penalty shootouts. Teams will be allowed five substitutions, with a sixth permitted during extra time.

The October 2025 FIFA World Rankings, set to be published on October 23, will determine the draw and seeding for the play-offs.

The highest-ranked team will face the fourth-ranked in one semi-final, while the second and third ranked sides will meet in the other.

The winner of the Moroccan play-off tournament will advance to the intercontinental play-off scheduled for March 2026, where they will compete against teams from Asia, South America, Oceania, and Concacaf for a chance to claim Africa’s 10th and final slot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Daily Sun)