2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

The qualification structure was as follows:{{cite web|url=http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/preliminarydraw/02/66/70/92/africa_drawprocedures_neutral.pdf|title=Draw Procedures – African Zone|publisher=FIFA.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806182353/http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/preliminarydraw/02/66/70/92/africa_drawprocedures_neutral.pdf|archive-date=6 August 2015|df=dmy-all}}

• First round: 26 teams, ranked 28–53, played home-and-away over two legs. The 13 winners advanced to the second round.
• Second round: 40 teams, ranked 1–27 and 13 first round winners, played home-and-away over two legs. The 20 winners advanced to the third round.
• Third round: 20 teams which had advanced from the second round were divided into five groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winners of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/news/newsid=2507253/index.html|title=Road to Russia with new milestone|publisher=FIFA.com|date=15 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115183352/http://www.fifa.com//worldcup/russia2018/news/newsid=2507253/index.html|archive-date=15 January 2015|df=dmy-all}} However, Zimbabwe were expelled from the competition on 12 March 2015 due to their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee,{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=3/news=zimbabwe-expelled-from-the-preliminary-competition-of-the-2018-fifa-wo-2557911.html/index.html|title=Zimbabwe expelled from the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia|publisher=FIFA.com|date=12 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317192003/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=3/news=zimbabwe-expelled-from-the-preliminary-competition-of-the-2018-fifa-wo-2557911.html/index.html|archive-date=17 March 2015|df=dmy-all}} a decision that the Zimbabwe Football Association unsuccessfully appealed.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/31851586|title=Zimbabwe expelled from 2018 World Cup|publisher=BBC Sport|date=12 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701062234/http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/31851586|archive-date=1 July 2015|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|last1=Kausiyo|first1=Petros|title=Zim expulsion stands...Warriors out of 2018 Fifa World Cup|url=http://www.chronicle.co.zw/zim-expulsion-stands-warriors-out-of-2018-fifa-world-cup/|work=Chronicle.co.zw|publisher=The Chronicle|date=22 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014225020/http://www.chronicle.co.zw/zim-expulsion-stands-warriors-out-of-2018-fifa-world-cup/|archive-date=14 October 2015|access-date=25 August 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

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. (World rankings shown in brackets){{cite web |title=FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – July 2015 (CAF) |url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=252/caf.html |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |date=9 July 2015 |access-date=9 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713135612/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=252/caf.html |archive-date=13 July 2015 |df=dmy-all }}

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.

The schedule of the competition was as follows.{{cite web|url=http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/caf/fullcafcalendar.aspx |title=CAF Calendar - CAF Calendar of Events and Meetings 2015 |publisher=cafonline.com |access-date=9 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214161053/http://www.cafonline.com/en-US/caf/fullcafcalendar.aspx |archive-date=14 February 2015 }}

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{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.cafonline.com/en-US/NewsCenter/News/NewsDetails?id=B13xFtaCEa74gsyZcugvpA%3d%3d|title=Results of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Preliminary Draw|publisher=CAF|date=25 July 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111203022/http://www.cafonline.com/en-US/NewsCenter/News/NewsDetails?id=B13xFtaCEa74gsyZcugvpA%3d%3d|archive-date=11 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF first round}}

{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF 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.

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round}}

{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=11/news=june-draw-for-third-round-of-african-zone-qualifiers-2733952.html|title=June draw for third round of African Zone qualifiers|publisher=FIFA.com|date=20 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401220031/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=11/news=june-draw-for-third-round-of-african-zone-qualifiers-2733952.html|archive-date=1 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round|transcludesection=Group A|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round|transcludesection=Group B|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round|transcludesection=Group C|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round|transcludesection=Group D|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round|transcludesection=Group E|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

The following five teams qualified for the final tournament.

{{Goalscorers

|goals=309 |matches=127

|5 goals=

• {{fbicon|BFA}} Préjuce Nakoulma
• {{fbicon|EGY}} Mohamed Salah

|4 goals=

• {{fbicon|ALG}} Islam Slimani
• {{fbicon|BDI}} Fiston Abdul Razak
• {{fbicon|COD}} Firmin Ndombe Mubele
• {{fbicon|LBR}} William Jebor
• {{fbicon|MAR}} Khalid Boutaïb
• {{fbicon|NIG}} Moussa Maâzou
• {{fbicon|UGA}} Farouk Miya
• {{fbicon|GUI}} Naby Keïta

}}

Below are full goalscorer lists for each round:

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• First round
• Second round
• Third round

{{div col end}}

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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41961801|title=Brussels riot after Morocco football win|date=12 November 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=20 November 2017|language=en-GB|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120151328/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41961801|archive-date=20 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-worldcup-civ-mar-brussels-riot/cars-burned-police-hurt-in-brussels-after-morocco-world-cup-success-idUSKBN1DC0EO|title=Cars burnt, police hurt in Brussels after Morocco World Cup success|date=12 November 2017|work=Reuters|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120022914/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-worldcup-civ-mar-brussels-riot/cars-burned-police-hurt-in-brussels-after-morocco-world-cup-success-idUSKBN1DC0EO|archive-date=20 November 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} Firefighters sent to put out the fires were also attacked by the rioters.

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/index.html|Official FIFA World Cup website}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071118121242/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/africa/index.html Qualifiers – Africa], FIFA.com
• [http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/competitions/fifawc2018/home 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Qualifiers], CAFonline.com

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers}}

Caf

Category:FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

Category:2015 in African football

Category:2016 in African football

Category:2017 in African football