2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF first round

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The first round of CAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 7 to 17 October 2015. [1]

Contents

Format

A total of 26 teams (teams ranked 28–53 in the CAF entrant list) played home-and-away over two legs. The 13 winners advanced to the second round.

Seeding

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. [2] [3] [4]

The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of July 2015 (shown in parentheses). [5] The 26 teams are seeded into two pots:

Each tie contained a team from Pot 4 and a team from Pot 5, with the team from Pot 4 hosting the second leg.

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the second round.

Pot 4Pot 5
  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 Namibia.svg  Namibia (114)
  6. Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya (116)
  7. Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana (120)
  8. Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar (122)
  9. Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg  Mauritania (128)
  10. Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi (131)
  11. Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho (131)
  12. Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau (133)
  13. Flag of Eswatini.svg  Swaziland (138)
  1. Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania (139)
  2. Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia (143)
  3. Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia (161)
  4. Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic (170)
  5. Flag of Chad.svg  Chad (173)
  6. Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius (180)
  7. Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles (186)
  8. Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros (187)
  9. Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe (189)
  10. Flag of South Sudan (2011-2023, upright star).svg  South Sudan (195)
  11. Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea (204)
  12. Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia (205)
  13. Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti (207)

Matches

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
Somalia  Flag of Somalia.svg0–2Flag of Niger.svg  Niger
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
  • Maâzou Soccerball shade.svg58', 61' (pen.)
Niger  Flag of Niger.svg4–0Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

Niger won 6–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Cameroon.


South Sudan  Flag of South Sudan (2011-2023, upright star).svg1–1 [note 2] Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg  Mauritania
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Juba Stadium, Juba
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Rajab Bakasambe (Uganda)
Mauritania  Flag of Mauritania (1959-2017).svg4–0Flag of South Sudan (2011-2023, upright star).svg  South Sudan
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Stade Olympique, Nouakchott
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Fidel Gomes (Guinea-Bissau)

Mauritania won 5–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Tunisia.


Gambia  Flag of The Gambia.svg1–1Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Independence Stadium, Bakau
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Ousmane Karembe (Mali)
Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg2–1Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Joshua Bondo (Botswana)

Namibia won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Guinea.


São Tomé and Príncipe  Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg1–0Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Ethiopia  Flag of Ethiopia.svg3–0Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

Ethiopia won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Congo.


Chad  Flag of Chad.svg1–0Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Sierra Leone  Flag of Sierra Leone.svg2–1Flag of Chad.svg  Chad
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

2–2 on aggregate. Chad won on the away goals rule and advanced to the second round against Egypt.


Comoros  Flag of the Comoros.svg0–0Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Lesotho  Flag of Lesotho.svg1–1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

1–1 on aggregate. Comoros won on the away goals rule and advanced to the second round against Ghana.


Djibouti  Flag of Djibouti.svg0–6Flag of Eswatini.svg  Swaziland
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Swaziland  Flag of Eswatini.svg2–1Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

Swaziland won 8–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Nigeria.


Eritrea  Flag of Eritrea.svg0–2Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Cicero Stadium, Asmara
Attendance: 9,950
Referee: Ibrahim Nour El Din (Egypt)
Botswana  Flag of Botswana.svg3–1Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Francistown Stadium, Francistown
Attendance: 15,073
Referee: Nelson Fred (Seychelles)

Botswana won 5–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Mali. [note 5]


Seychelles  Flag of Seychelles.svg0–1Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Burundi  Flag of Burundi.svg2–0Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

Burundi won 3–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against DR Congo.


Liberia  Flag of Liberia.svg1–1Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Guinea-Bissau  Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg1–3Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Ferdinand Udoh (Nigeria)

Liberia won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Ivory Coast.


Central African Republic  Flag of the Central African Republic.svg0–3Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Madagascar  Flag of Madagascar.svg2–2Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

Madagascar won 5–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Senegal.


Mauritius  Flag of Mauritius.svg2–5Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Kenya  Flag of Kenya.svg0–0Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

Kenya won 5–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Cape Verde.


Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg2–0Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svg1–0Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)

Tanzania won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Algeria.

Goalscorers

There were 68 goals scored in 26 matches, for an average of 2.62 goals per match.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Notes

  1. Somalia played their home leg in Ethiopia due to the Somali Civil War.
  2. The South Sudan v Mauritania match was suspended after 10 minutes due to torrential rain, with the score 1–1 at the time. The match was resumed on 8 October 2015, 11:00 UTC+3. [6]
  3. Sierra Leone played their home leg in Nigeria due to the Western African Ebola virus epidemic.
  4. Swaziland v Djibouti were to originally kick off on 13 October 2015, 19:00 UTC+3, but has been postponed to 17 October 2015, due to the inability of Djibouti's national team to arrive on time for the game. [7]
  5. After the Eritrea-Botswana match, ten Eritrea players refused to return home and sought asylum in Botswana. [8]
  6. The Central African Republic played their home leg in Madagascar due to the Central African Republic Civil War. [9]

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References

  1. "Preliminary Draw procedures outlined". fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: Procedure for the preliminary draw". CAF. 21 July 2015.
  3. "Draw Procedures – African Zone" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2015.
  4. "Results of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Preliminary Draw". CAF. 25 July 2015.
  5. "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.
  6. "World Cup debutants South Sudan draw". CAFonline.com. 8 October 2015.
  7. "Swaziland, Djibouti W/Cup Qualifier Postponed". Complete Sports. 13 October 2015.
  8. "Eritrean football players seek asylum in Botswana". BBC. 15 October 2015.
  9. "Qualifying match between Central African Republic and Madagascar rescheduled". FIFA.com. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015.