The path to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland has been officially charted as the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) conducted the qualifiers draw at its headquarters in Cairo on Thursday.
The tournament, scheduled for August 2026, will feature 24 nations, including four representatives from Africa.
A total of 38 African teams are vying for the four coveted slots, with the qualifiers set to unfold over four knockout rounds of home-and-away fixtures.
Qualifiers Format
- First Round: The 12 lowest-ranked teams, based on previous U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers performance, will contest in this round. The six winners will advance to join the 26 top-ranked teams exempted from the first round.
- Second Round: The six first-round winners and 26 exempted teams will form 32 teams. These will battle it out for 16 spots in the third round.
- Third Round: The remaining 16 teams will compete in a knockout format to determine the eight teams advancing to the fourth round.
- Fourth Round: The final eight teams will play knockout ties, with the winners earning qualification to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup African Qualifiers Draw Results
First Round
- M1, 2: Gabon vs Niger
- M3, 4: Togo vs Tunisia
- M5, 6: Gambia vs Côte d’Ivoire
- M7, 8: Rwanda vs Zimbabwe
- M9, 10: South Sudan vs Djibouti
- M11, 12: Malawi vs Central African Republic
Second Round
- M13, 14: Gabon/Niger vs Cameroon
- M15, 16: Botswana vs Mozambique
- M17, 18: Ethiopia vs Kenya
- M19, 20: Tanzania vs Angola
- M21, 22: Togo/Tunisia vs Ghana
- M23, 24: Eswatini vs South Africa
- M25, 26: Uganda vs Namibia
- M27, 28: Burundi vs Zambia
- M29, 30: Gambia/Côte d’Ivoire vs Morocco
- M31, 32: Mali vs DR Congo
- M33, 34: Equatorial Guinea vs Egypt
- M35, 36: Benin vs Guinea
- M37, 38: Rwanda/Zimbabwe vs Nigeria
- M39, 40: Senegal vs Algeria
- M41, 42: Guinea-Bissau vs Congo
- M43, 44: South Sudan/Djibouti vs Malawi/Central African Republic
Third Round Fixtures
- M45, 46: Winner M13, M14 vs Winner M15, M16
- M47, 48: Winner M17, M18 vs Winner M19, M20
- M49, 50: Winner M21, M22 vs Winner M23, M24
- M51, 52: Winner M25, M26 vs Winner M27, M28
- M53, 54: Winner M29, M30 vs Winner M31, M32
- M55, 56: Winner M33, M34 vs Winner M35, M36
- M57, 58: Winner M37, M38 vs Winner M39, M40
- M59, 60: Winner M41, M42 vs Winner M43, M44
Fourth Round Fixtures
- M61, 62: Winner M45, M46 vs Winner M47, M48
- M63, 64: Winner M49, M50 vs Winner M51, M52
- M65, 66: Winner M53, M54 vs Winner M55, M56
- M67, 68: Winner M57, M58 vs Winner M59, M60
Round-by-Round Timeline
- First Round Matches: First leg: 9–11 May 2025 | Second leg: 16–18 May 2025.
- Second Round Matches: First leg: 19–21 September 2025 | Second leg: 26–28 September 2025.
- Third Round Matches: First leg: 6–8 February 2026 | Second leg: 12–14 February 2026.
- Fourth Round Matches: First leg: 1–3 May 2026 | Second leg: 8–10 May 2026.
CAF