CAF Qualification For The 2022 World Cup
All the world countries associated with FIFA have fought since 2019 to qualify for the next World Cup to be held in Qatar in 2022. The qualifying rounds that will define the World Cup participants have been held on each continent. So, next year the names of the national teams that will compete for the world championship will be known. Each confederation has its rules and formats in which the qualifiers are carried out, depending on the number of affiliated countries that participate. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is one of those that is characterized by having somewhat complex qualifying rounds. The reason is the number of nations that participate (54) to get one of the 5 slots available for the 2022 World Cup.
10 African Teams Battle For 5 Spots At The 2022 World Cup
The CAF elimination tournament began in September 2019 and is made up of three rounds. This format is very particular since it aims to give an opportunity to all teams equally, regardless of their favoritism. So, the 28 national teams ranked by FIFA between 27-54 participate in the first round. In the second round, the 14 winning teams from the first round compete alongside teams 1-26 from the FIFA ranking. So, they form 10 groups of 4 teams each. Besides, the winners of each group meet in the third round. From there, the 5 teams that will participate in the World Cup will surge. But, the second round is even more complex with balanced groups between favorites and underdogs. In this round, three teams managed to remain undefeated in all 6 matches and were the best teams of the entire round.
In Group I (Morocco, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Sudan), Morocco won all six of their matches, scoring 20 goals and allowing just one. The level shown by this team was superior to that of its rivals. For many media, Morocco's performance is not entirely meritorious, as it did not have to face higher-ranking rivals. But in the same way, Morocco is a team with a lot of experience that will weigh the third round. Although no team considered favorites participated in Group E (Mali, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda), the performance of Mali is remarkable, winning 5 matches and drawing one. Also, it was the only team in the round that did not allow any goals against. Likewise, a great team like Senegal showed why they are favorites in Group H, which is formed by Congo, Namibia, Senegal, and Togo. Senegal won 5 matches and drew one, with a great round for their star and current Liverpool player, Sadio Mané.
After the second round, the ten teams qualified will play for the third and last round that will take place in 2022. They are Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, and DR Congo. Five of these national teams will participate in the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The usual favorites from the African continent are featured among these 10 teams. Therefore, the third round will show us if an underdog like Mali will play in the 2022 World Cup.
