LONDON: Nigeria and South Africa were drawn in the same World Cup qualifying group on Thursday in a re-shaped African competition that will lead to at least nine teams at the 2026 showpiece in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The enlarged 48-team World Cup in three years’ time means Africa’s places are up from five to nine, with the possibility of a 10th African team making it through an inter-continental playoff.
In the new African format, just the winners of the nine six-team groups are guaranteed a place at the World Cup. The four best second-place teams enter African playoffs and the one that comes through those makes it to an inter-continental mini-tournament, where the two final teams at the World Cup will be decided.
World Cup semifinalists Morocco, the first African or Arab team to make the last four after their surprising run in Qatar last year, are in a group where their sternest tests will likely come from 2012 African champions Zambia and Niger.