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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Warriors will be waiting anxiously for the quick resolution of ZIFA’s suspension from global football after the Confederation of African Football announced that the draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held in two months.
CAF revealed a new qualification format for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the expansion of the tournament. The draw will be held on July 12.
The Warriors participated in the qualifiers for the previous 2022 edition but were subsequently banned from international football following administrative challenges that left ZIFA and all the national representative teams isolated.
Zimbabwe have been suspended since last year and recently a joint FIFA, CAF and COSAFA delegation was in the country on a fact-finding mission to resolve the impasse.
Following last week’s CAF Executive Committee in Algerian capital Algiers, it was resolved that the continent get the ball rolling for the 2026 edition.
A total of nine African slots have been guaranteed for the 48-team World Cup due to be staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States in three years’ time.
“CAF has announced a new format for the qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following the decision by FIFA to increase Africa’s quota from five to nine direct tickets,” said CAF in a statement.
“The new format, which was approved by the Executive Committee of CAF during its meeting in Algiers on Thursday, will see the 54 Member Associations divided into nine groups of six teams each.
Games will be played on a round robin basis, and the top team from each group after Match Day 10, will earn an automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“Consequently, the best four second placed teams from across all nine groups will enter into a Continental play-off to determine one winner who will then proceed to a second and final play-off which will include six teams from the other different confederations.
“The top two of these six will qualify for the World Cup to make up the 48 teams,” continued the statement.
The qualifiers are scheduled to start later this year, with Match Day One and Two scheduled between November 13-21, while the third and fourth match days are scheduled for June 2024.
The last match day will be in the week of October 6-14 while the Continental play-off will be staged between November 10-18, 2025 at a venue to be announced later.
The FIFA Play-off tournament is scheduled for March 2026.
“The Executive Committee also announced that the Official Draw of the FIFA World Cup 2026 African Qualifiers will be held on July 12, 2023 in Cotonou, Benin, the night before the 45th CAF Ordinary General Assembly,” said the statement.
At the Qatar World Cup last year, Africa was represented by Morocco, Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana and Tunisia.
Morocco finished fourth and made history by becoming the first ever African country to reach the semi-finals.
Online Reporter