The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has confirmed Morocco as host country for the African playoff tournament in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
CAF announced the north African country as the host of the qualifying tournament as well informing on the date of matches to determine the continent’s sole representative for the international playoff round, the last hurdle in the qualification rounds.
The football body disclosed to all member associations that the competition, which will involve the best four teams in the initial qualifying group round, will begin in a semifinal format, and thereafter a final to determine the country in the international playoff games.
In a circular released on Monday, CAF stated that the tournament will begin on November 13 after which the final will be played a day after, and also outlining that in the event of a draw, matches will proceed to extra time and, if necessary, penalty shootouts. It added teams will be allowed five substitutions, with a sixth permitted during extra time.
It also informed that there would been seeding for the teams participating in the tournament which will be determined after the October 23 FIFA World Rankings. CAF held that 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 fixture.
The winner of the Moroccan play-off tournament will advance to the intercontinental play-off scheduled for March 2026 to 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.
