World Cup 2026: Ghana likely to face Nigeria again as FIFA releases pots for African qualifiers

FIFA has released the pots for the African qualifying draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Ghana, the four-time African champions, have been placed in Pot 2 and could potentially face Nigeria, their longtime rivals, in the qualifying campaign.

Ghana’s placement in Pot 2 means they could also come up against tough opponents such as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali, and Ivory Coast.

The draw, scheduled to take place on July 12, will determine the groups for the qualifying campaign leading up to the 2026 tournament.

FIFA divided the countries into six pots based on the latest world ranking. Unfortunately, Ghana, ranked 11th on the continent, did not make it into Pot 1, reserved for the highest-ranked teams. As a result, the Black Stars will face a challenging path to secure qualification for the prestigious tournament.

The qualifying draw will see the countries placed into nine groups of six teams each. The group winners will earn direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup. However, the four best second-placed teams will compete in a mini-tournament, with the winner advancing to an intercontinental playoff.

The possibility of a playoff rematch between Ghana and Nigeria, reminiscent of their previous encounter for the 2022 World Cup qualification, looms. In that thrilling playoff, the Black Stars emerged victorious on away goals, securing their place in the tournament held in Qatar.

Below are the Pots

Pot 1: Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali, Egypt, Ivory Coast

Pot 2: Ghana, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Guinea, Zambia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea

Pot 3: Angola, Benin, Kenya, Mauritania, Congo, Uganda, Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, Namibia

Pot 4: Mozambique, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Malawi, Libya

Pot 5: Niger, Comoros, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Botswana, Liberia

Pot 6: Lesotho, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome, Djibouti, Seychelles, Eritrea, Somalia