Talk:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

African Draw Date
The draw is set for July 12, 2023 in Benin. However, the next FIFA World Rankings is not scheduled to be released until July 20. If that is correct, the current FIFA World Ranking (From April) would be used for the African Draw. Smeziane (talk) 21:19, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

For the benefit of JalenWolf
The list violates WP:CRYSTAL. Provisional does not mean "a fantasy made up under some set of assumptions known to be incorrect" it means "announced but subject to some sort of issue" (like if CAF announced a qualifying scheme but it needed FIFA approval to become official - that would be a provisional announcement). The list there is not the one that is going to be used - I might as well start filling in the names of the finalists based on seeding because that is just as "provisional" as this - they will "provisionally" qualify assuming seeding pans out. Or I could list all the UEFA teams and say "this is the provisional seeding assuming everyone in UEFA and CAF swap confederations". The list should be the list of CAF members in alphabetical order, with no claims about seeding. That would be "provisional" 165.12.252.108 (talk) 00:00, 23 May 2023 (UTC)


 * If you really insist on this table's removal, then you may as well remove it from the other confederation qualification articles as well. Otherwise, since these tables were under the decision of WP:FOOTY, I'll leave it to the other members of the WikiProject to have input on the issue. Jalen Folf   (talk)  04:54, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree with the IP, the seeding pots should not be listed until (1) the seeding/draw principles have been formally approved, and (2) the final rankings used for the draw have been announced. Otherwise this violates WP:CRYSTAL and WP:NOR. S.A. Julio (talk) 08:58, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I also agree with the IP, and this should apply too all football events. We shouldn't be presuming how the seeding or draw for events will work, we should wait for the tournament organisers to confirm it. The current guess is just WP:CRYSTAL and WP:NOR. It also seems to be irrelevant anyway if they're going to use world rankings from a later date anyway- if the April 2023 standings won't determine the seeding, so why on earth should it be listed?. Joseph2302 (talk) 10:20, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Me too: seems to be a mixture of SYNTH / OR / CRYSTAL Spike &#39;em (talk) 11:24, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Yup, should only be added when there is an official source confirming those. Kante4 (talk) 12:05, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I think the current version looks fine to me. FIFA rankings change each month which may change which pots teams go into. e.g., from an old version, Angola and Sierra Leone may switch pots between now and the date of the draw where they are next to each other in the rankings but aren't grouped in the same pot as each other. Iggy (Swan) (Contribs) 20:47, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I think one thing to consider here is that the disclaimer/note is what's creating the issue in the first place. Keep in mind that the next edition of the FIFA World Rankings will not be released until July 20, and since CAF has already announced that the date of the draw is scheduled for July 12 , it is appropriate to say that the April 2023 edition of the World Rankings reflects the correct seeding. As such the list cannot be provisional. Smeziane (talk) 14:35, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Until CAF actually announces the teams in the pots, we shouldn't be assuming or posting anything, not even with a disclaimer saying "this may or may not be correct". Assuming the dates that FIFA release rankings and deducing who will likely be in each pot is WP:SYNTH. Joseph2302 (talk) 14:42, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
 * That makes sense! Thank you for the clarification. Smeziane (talk) 15:00, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I just want to clarify that I'm not making any assumptions regarding the date that FIFA releases rankings. It is according to FIFA itself that the next rankings will be released on July 20. You can check My source here . Smeziane (talk) 15:03, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Upon reading the other comments here, I concur that lists and tables of "provisional draw pots" violate one or more of WP:OR, WP:CRYSTAL, and WP:SYNTH and agree with the removal of all such lists and tables from all footy articles. — Jkudlick &#x2693; (talk) 16:01, 24 May 2023 (UTC)

Draw Location Change
The draw has been relocated from Cotonou (Benin), to Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.[1 ] [2 ] Can someone please update this? Smeziane (talk) 14:36, 28 June 2023 (UTC)


 * ❌ Your first source states "According to the previous program, the day before the event (July 12) would be marked by the draw for the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. No update on this subject has yet been announced." This means that making a change in the article runs completely counter to what is stated. — Jkudlick &#x2693; (talk) 15:12, 28 June 2023 (UTC)

Following Eritrea's withdrawal...
Following Eritrea's withdrawal, concerning the ranking of second-placed teams, as there is one team in less in Group E and in order to determine the 4 best runners-up, will only the results of the runner-up teams against the first, third, fourth and fifth-placed teams in their group be taken into account ? Does anyone know whether CAF and/or FIFA have communicated on this matter ? Pindrice (talk) 02:58, 11 November 2023 (UTC)


 * That is likely to be the case, and would be very unsporting if it is not. However, we should wait for any official announcement before making any changes to avoid WP:OR.— Jkudlick &#x2693; (talk) 14:54, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Are you sure? Last time CAF faced a situation like this (2017 AFCON) they just excluded teams from smaller groups (or effectively made no adjustments).  BBC noted CAF has made no announcement - so to state it as a fact seems unjustified. 110.33.28.251 (talk) 22:41, 15 November 2023 (UTC)

Group H
According to FIFA Namibia is on 1, followed by Tunisia and not the other way around --Chtrede (talk) 05:18, 28 May 2024 (UTC)


 * FIFA's website currently does not reflect the fair play points tiebreaker, which accounts for the number of yellow cards and red cards accumulated during matches. Since Tunisia accumulated less relevant points than Namibia, we have to rank the teams as such here. Jalen Folf   (Bark[s])  05:25, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Oh, so en.WP knows better than FIFA? Strange, as FIFA still states NAM on 1 and TUN on 2. --Chtrede (talk) 08:05, 30 May 2024 (UTC)