CAF
FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers: Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia all kick start campaign
The preliminary round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 kicks off today with several matches on card. Twenty eight teams lowly ranked by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will battle to try and win spots in the group stage.
26 teams are already qualified for the group phase thanks to their CAF ranking.
Burundi, fresh from the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) just like their opponents Tanzania will battle in the first leg in Bujumbura in what promises to be a thriller.
The Red Sea Camels of Eritrea returning to the international stage after 2015 will play host to Namibia at the Asmara Stadium, while Ethiopia take on Lesotho.
The other members of the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa) that will be in action include South Sudan who will host Equatorial Guinea in a neutral venue at the Al Hilal Stadium in Khartoum.
French coach Julien Mette will also lead the Djibouti national team in the first leg encounter against Eswatini (Swaziland). The other games on card will see Mauritius take on Mozambique, while Sao Tome e Principe play host to Guinea Bissau and Liberia host Sierra Leone.
On Thursday Rwanda will play away to Seychelles, while Chad host Sudan and Somalia battle Zimbabwe on a neutral venue in Djibouti.
The remaining matches to be played between Friday and Saturday will see Comoros Islands face Togo, Gambia take on Angola and Malawi playing away to Botswana.