he 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.
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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
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