CAF have confirmed their qualifying format for the 2022 Men’s World Cup. The same format was used for the 2014 tournament, when an expanded group phase was followed by playoffs to decide the five qualifying teams.

The qualifying campaign begins with a preliminary round. Of CAF’s 54 FIFA member nations, the top 26 in the FIFA rankings earn a bye in the preliminary round. The other 28 teams are drawn into pairs. Each pair is played over two legs, and the aggregate winners advance to the group phase.

The 26 byed teams enter at the group phase; including the 14 preliminary round winners, a total of 40 teams take part in the group phase. They are drawn into ten groups of four teams each. In each group, the teams play one another home and away, and only the first placed teams advance.

The ten teams that finish first in their groups are drawn to play against one another in the playoffs. Each playoff is played over two legs, and the five winners qualify for Qatar 2022.

CAF will announce the match dates, and the schedule for the draws, at a later date.