2026 World Cup: Ghana placed in Pot 2 for African qualifying draw
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 come up against tough opponents such as Nigeria, 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.
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.
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
