Rwanda, Ethiopia set to kick start FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers

Two teams from the CECAFA Zone Ethiopia and Rwanda will face separate opponents as the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers for Africa kick-off on Wednesday.

The Amavubi of Rwanda under new coach Torsten Frank Spittler will hosts the Warriors of Zimbabwe in a Group C match at the Huye Stadium on Wednesday.

Spittler has made it clear that although Zimbabwe has just had their FIFA suspension lifted and have not played competitive International football in a while, they should not be taken lightly.

Ethiopia will also take on Sierra Leone in a Group A match they will host at the El-Abdi Stadium in Morocco. Gebremedhin Haile who was appointed few days ago will be in-charge of the Ethiopian team that will be eager to make a good start.

On Thursday Five teams from the CECAFA Zone will all be in action with Sudan who have political challenges back home hosting Togo in a Group B match in Saudi Arabia. Burundi will also play host to Gambia in a Group F match at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Djibouti will start their Group A campaign with a visit to Egypt, while Somalia will also play away to former African champions Algeria in a Group G tie. The Harambee Stars of Kenya led by inspirational skipper Micheal Olunga will play away to Gabon in a Group F battle.

Uganda Cranes under the guidance of their new experienced coach Paul Put will face a tricky test against Guinea in a Group G match to be played in Morocco. Tanzania and South Sudan will also play away matches against Niger and Senegal respectively on November 18th, 2023

Initially 54 African teams entered the qualifiers and were divided into nine groups with only the winners assured of a place at the finals. However Eritrea withdrew few weeks ago leaving Group E with five teams.

Groups

Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti

Group B: Senegal, DR Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan

Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho

Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius

Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea (withdrew)

Group F: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, The Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles

Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia

Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe

Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad