2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

Last updated

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Tournament details
Dates7 October 2015 – 14 November 2017
Teams54 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played127
Goals scored309 (2.43 per match)
Attendance2,862,856 (22,542 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Préjuce Nakoulma
Flag of Egypt.svg Mohamed Salah
(5 goals each)
← 2014
2022 →

The African section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia, for national teams which were members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). A total of five slots in the final tournament were available for CAF teams. [1]

Contents

The CAF Executive Committee approved the format for the qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 14 January 2015, [2] with three preliminary rounds before a final group stage featuring 20 teams. The number of preliminary rounds was reduced to two, based on information provided by FIFA in early July 2015. [3] [4]

Format

The qualification structure was as follows: [4] [5]

Entrants

All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification. [6] However, Zimbabwe were expelled from the competition on 12 March 2015 due to their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee, [7] a decision that the Zimbabwe Football Association unsuccessfully appealed. [8] [9]

The July 2015 FIFA Rankings were used to seed the teams for the first two rounds, both of which were drawn in Russia on 25 July 2015. [4] (World rankings shown in brackets) [10]

From the July 2015 FIFA World Rankings [10]
Bye to second round
(ranked 1st to 27th)		Competing in first round
(ranked 28th to 54th)
  1. Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria (19)
  2. Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast (21)
  3. Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana (25)
  4. Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia (32)
  5. Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal (39)
  6. Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon (42)
  7. Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo (47)
  8. Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde (52)
  9. Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt (55)
  10. Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria (57)
  11. Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea (58)
  12. Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo (60)
  13. Flag of Mali.svg  Mali (61)
  14. Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea (63)
  15. Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon (65)
  16. Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa (70)
  17. Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia (71)
  18. Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso (72)
  19. Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda (73)
  20. Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda (78)
  21. Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo (83)
  22. Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco (84)
  23. Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan (90)
  24. Flag of Angola.svg  Angola (92)
  25. Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique (95)
  26. Flag of Benin.svg  Benin (96)
  27. Flag of Libya.svg  Libya (96)
  1. Flag of Niger.svg  Niger (96)
  2. Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia (101)
  3. Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi (108)
  4. Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone (111)
  5. Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe (112)
  6. Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia (114)
  7. Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya (116)
  8. Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana (120)
  9. Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar (122)
  10. Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg  Mauritania (128)
  11. Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi (131)
  12. Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho (131)
  13. Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau (133)
  14. Flag of Eswatini.svg  Swaziland (138)
  15. Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania (139)
  16. Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia (143)
  17. Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia (161)
  18. Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic (170)
  19. Flag of Chad.svg  Chad (173)
  20. Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius (180)
  21. Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles (186)
  22. Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros (187)
  23. Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe (189)
  24. Flag of South Sudan (2011-2023, upright star).svg  South Sudan (195)
  25. Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea (204)
  26. Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia (205)
  27. Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti (207)

Note: Niger had to enter the first round as they had fewer FIFA ranking points (345.31) than Benin (345.46) and Libya (345.35). In the FIFA World Rankings, teams share the same ranking if their ranking points round to the same whole number.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows. [11]

RoundMatchdayDate
First round First leg5–13 October 2015
Second leg
Second round First leg9–17 November 2015
Second leg
RoundMatchdayDate
Third round Matchday 13–11 October 2016
Matchday 27–15 November 2016
Matchday 328 August – 5 September 2017
Matchday 4
Matchday 52–10 October 2017
Matchday 66–14 November 2017

First round

The draw for the first round was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. [12]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Somalia  Flag of Somalia.svg0–6Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 0–2 0–4
South Sudan  Flag of South Sudan (2011-2023, upright star).svg1–5Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg  Mauritania 1–1 0–4
Gambia  Flag of The Gambia.svg2–3Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 1–1 1–2
São Tomé and Príncipe  Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg1–3Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 1–0 0–3
Chad  Flag of Chad.svg2–2 (a)Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 1–0 1–2
Comoros  Flag of the Comoros.svg1–1 (a)Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 0–0 1–1
Djibouti  Flag of Djibouti.svg1–8Flag of Eswatini.svg  Swaziland 0–6 1–2
Eritrea  Flag of Eritrea.svg1–5Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 0–2 1–3
Seychelles  Flag of Seychelles.svg0–3Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 0–1 0–2
Liberia  Flag of Liberia.svg4–2Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau 1–1 3–1
Central African Republic  Flag of the Central African Republic.svg2–5Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 0–3 2–2
Mauritius  Flag of Mauritius.svg2–5Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 2–5 0–0
Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg2–1Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 2–0 0–1

Second round

The draw for the second round was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. [12]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Niger  Flag of Niger.svg0–3Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 0–3 0–0
Mauritania  Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg2–4Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 1–2 1–2
Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg0–3Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 0–1 0–2
Ethiopia  Flag of Ethiopia.svg4–6Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 3–4 1–2
Chad  Flag of Chad.svg1–4Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 1–0 0–4
Comoros  Flag of the Comoros.svg0–2Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 0–0 0–2
Swaziland  Flag of Eswatini.svg0–2Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 1–0 0–2
Botswana  Flag of Botswana.svg2–3Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 2–1 0–2
Burundi  Flag of Burundi.svg2–6Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 2–3 0–3 [note 1]
Liberia  Flag of Liberia.svg0–4Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 0–1 0–3
Madagascar  Flag of Madagascar.svg2–5Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 2–2 0–3
Kenya  Flag of Kenya.svg1–2Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 1–0 0–2
Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg2–9Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 2–2 0–7
Sudan  Flag of Sudan.svg0–3Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 0–1 0–2
Libya  Flag of Libya.svg4–1Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 1–0 3–1
Morocco  Flag of Morocco.svg2–1Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 2–0 0–1
Mozambique  Flag of Mozambique.svg1–1 (3–4 p)Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Benin  Flag of Benin.svg2–3Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 2–1 0–2
Togo  Flag of Togo (3-2).svg0–4Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 0–1 0–3
Angola  Flag of Angola.svg1–4Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 1–3 0–1

Third round

The draw for the third round was held on 24 June 2016, 17:00 EET (UTC+2), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. [14]

Groups

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7): [15]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Group A

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Tunisia.svgFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svgFlag of Libya.svgFlag of Guinea.svg
1Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 6420114+714Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 2–1 0–0 2–0
2Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 6411147+713 2–2 — 4–0 3–1
3Flag of Libya.svg  Libya 6114410−64 0–1 1–2 — 1–0
4Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 6105614−83 1–4 1–2 3–2 —
Source: FIFA

Group B

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Nigeria.svgFlag of Zambia.svgFlag of Cameroon.svgFlag of Algeria.svg
1Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 6411116+513Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 1–0 4–0 3–1
2Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 622287+18 1–2 — 2–2 3–1
3Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 614179−27 1–1 1–1 — 2–0
4Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 6114610−44 3–0 [a] 0–1 1–1 —
Source: FIFA
Notes:
  1. ↑ FIFA awarded Algeria a 3–0 win as a result of Nigeria fielding the ineligible player Shehu Abdullahi, after the match had ended in a 1–1 draw. Abdullahi failed to serve a one-game ban after receiving two yellow cards in the qualifying competition. [16]

Group C

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Morocco.svgFlag of Cote d'Ivoire.svgFlag of Gabon.svgFlag of Mali.svg
1Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 6330110+1112Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 0–0 3–0 6–0
2Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 622275+28 0–2 — 1–2 3–1
3Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 613227−56 0–0 0–3 — 0–0
4Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 604219−84 0–0 0–0 0–0 —
Source: FIFA

Group D

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Senegal.svgFlag of Burkina Faso.svgFlag of Cape Verde.svgFlag of South Africa.svg
1Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 6420103+714Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 0–0 2–0 2–1
2Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 6231106+49 2–2 — 4–0 1–1
3Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 6204412−86 0–2 0–2 — 2–1
4Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 6114710−34 0–2 [a] 3–1 1–2 —
Source: FIFA
Notes:
  1. ↑ FIFA ordered a replay of the original South Africa v Senegal match after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the lifetime ban of match referee Joseph Lamptey. Originally South Africa had defeated Senegal 2–1. [17]

Group E

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Egypt.svgFlag of Uganda.svgFlag of Ghana.svgFlag of the Republic of the Congo.svg
1Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 641184+413Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 1–0 2–0 2–1
2Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 623132+19 1–0 — 0–0 1–0
3Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 614175+27 1–1 0–0 — 1–1
4Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 6024512−72 1–2 1–1 1–5 —
Source: FIFA

Qualified teams

The following five teams qualified for the final tournament.

TeamQualified asQualified onPrevious appearances in FIFA World Cup 1
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia Group A winners11 November 20174 (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Group B winners7 October 20175 (1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014)
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Group C winners11 November 20174 (1970, 1986, 1994, 1998)
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal Group D winners10 November 20171 (2002)
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Group E winners8 October 20172 (1934, 1990)

Top goalscorers

There were 309 goals scored in 127 matches, for an average of 2.43 goals per match.

5 goals

4 goals

Below are full goalscorer lists for each round:

Fan behaviour

After Morocco qualified for the tournament with a 2–0 victory over Ivory Coast, the celebrations by the Moroccan community in Brussels turned into a riot with cars burnt, shops looted by some 300 rioters and 20 police officers injured. [18] [19] Firefighters sent to put out the fires were also attacked by the rioters. [19]

Notes

  1. ↑ FIFA awarded Congo DR a 3–0 win as a result of Burundi fielding the ineligible player Gaël Bigirimana. [13] The match originally ended 2–2.

References

  1. ↑ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "FORMAT OF 2017 AFCON QUALIFIERS AND 2018 WORLD CUP". CAFonline.com. 22 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistical Kit for the Preliminary Draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. 3 July 2015. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Preliminary Draw procedures outlined". fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Draw Procedures – African Zone" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Road to Russia with new milestone". FIFA.com. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Zimbabwe expelled from the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia". FIFA.com. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Zimbabwe expelled from 2018 World Cup". BBC Sport. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015.
  9. ↑ Kausiyo, Petros (22 July 2015). "Zim expulsion stands...Warriors out of 2018 Fifa World Cup". Chronicle.co.zw. The Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  10. 1 2 "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – July 2015 (CAF)". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "CAF Calendar - CAF Calendar of Events and Meetings 2015". cafonline.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Results of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Preliminary Draw". CAF. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "DISCIPLINARY OVERVIEW – 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA QUALIFIERS" (PDF). FIFA. 12 December 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "June draw for third round of African Zone qualifiers". FIFA.com. 20 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Latest decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee". FIFA.com. 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  17. ↑ "South Africa vs. Senegal World Cup qualifier to be replayed in November". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 6 September 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Brussels riot after Morocco football win". BBC News. 12 November 2017. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Cars burnt, police hurt in Brussels after Morocco World Cup success". Reuters. 12 November 2017. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.