Four teams are competing for a spot in the FIFA World Cup finals, with a total of 15 past appearances. By the end of this week's African Play-Offs, only one will advance.
Cameroon has participated in the World Cup eight times, which is a record for Africa. They last played in Qatar in 2022 and reached the quarter-finals in 1990.
Nigeria has played in six finals, most recently in Russia in 2018. The Democratic Republic of Congo was a finalist in 1974, when it was still called Zaire, while Gabon has never qualified before.
This week, all four teams have a fair chance in a knockout tournament where losing means elimination. Nigeria will face Gabon in Rabat on Thursday, and later that evening, Cameroon will play DR Congo.
The winners of the upcoming matches in Rabat on Sunday will advance to the World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament, where they will compete against seeded teams for two spots in the FIFA World Cup.
The African Play-Off winners will join Bolivia and New Caledonia, along with teams from Asia and Concacaf, in this tournament set for March 23 to 31, 2026.
Nigeria, the highest-ranked team in Morocco, secured their place after a recent 4-0 win against Benin, having struggled earlier in the qualifiers.
Gabon finished their group with 25 points, just behind Côte d’Ivoire, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang key to their attack. DR Congo and Cameroon, who last met in a 1-1 friendly in 2015, are also competing, with DR Congo two points behind Senegal in their group.
