African national teams will play a prominent role in the expanded FIFA Series 2026™, following FIFA’s confirmation of the hosts and group compositions for the global development tournament.
A total of 48 national teams from all six confederations will compete in 12 groups during the March and April international windows, with Africa strongly represented both on and off the pitch.
Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire have been confirmed as hosts, underlining CAF’s growing influence in FIFA’s global development programmes.
Rwanda will host two men’s groups, welcoming teams from Europe, Concacaf and Africa in Kigali.
The Amavubi will face Estonia, Grenada and Kenya in Group A, while Group B will feature Tanzania alongside Aruba, Liechtenstein and Macau.
Côte d’Ivoire, meanwhile, will host one of the women’s groups, with the Elephants Ladies set to compete against Mauritania, Pakistan and Turks and Caicos Islands.
African teams are spread across several men’s groups worldwide. Cameroon will test themselves against Australia, China PR and Curaçao in the Australia-hosted group, while Sierra Leone join Azerbaijan, Oman and St Lucia in Baku.
Namibia will battle Kazakhstan, Comoros and Kuwait, and Gabon face Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago in Central Asia.
Other African representatives include Cabo Verde, who will compete in New Zealand against Chile, Finland and the hosts, Kenya and Tanzania in Rwanda, and Zambia, who will take part in the women’s competition in Brazil alongside the hosts, Canada and Korea Republic.
Mauritania and DR Congo will also feature in the women’s groups in Côte d’Ivoire and Thailand respectively.
Five men’s teams in the competition – including Cabo Verde – have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, highlighting the competitive value of the FIFA Series alongside its development objectives.
All matches in the FIFA Series 2026™ will be broadcast globally, offering African teams increased international exposure while providing valuable experience in cross-confederation competition.
FIFA says the initiative aligns with its Strategic Objectives for the Global Game 2023–2027, aimed at enhancing technical growth, organisational capacity and global football exchange.
Match schedules for the FIFA Series 2026™ will be announced in due course.
