Nigeria will face Gabon in the semi-finals of the African section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs, following the conclusion of the qualifying group stage on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles sealed their play-off berth with a 4–0 demolition of Benin Republic earlier in the day, finishing as one of the four best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups. Gabon, meanwhile, clinched second place in Group F after a 2–0 victory over Burundi, aided by Ivory Coast’s win over Kenya that confirmed their runners-up spot.
Elsewhere, DR Congo secured their place with a tight 1–0 win against Sudan, finishing behind Senegal in Group B, while Cameroon advanced after placing second in Group D behind Cape Verde.
The play-offs, featuring the four highest-ranked runners-up, will take place in Morocco from November 13 to 16. Based on current FIFA rankings (to be updated on October 23), Nigeria are expected to be the top-seeded team and will therefore meet the lowest-ranked side — Gabon — in the semi-finals.
The other semi-final will see Cameroon square off against DR Congo. Both matches will be played on November 13, with the winners advancing to a single-leg final on November 16.
The overall winner will qualify for the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026, where they will compete for a place at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
All matches will be single-leg knockouts; if tied after 90 minutes, extra time and, if necessary, penalties will determine the winner.
Africa’s nine group winners have already qualified directly for the 2026 tournament, while this mini-tournament offers the continent one final route to add an extra representative at the expanded 48-team World Cup.
