The CAF (Confederation of African Football) released the schedule for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the African zone on Tuesday, including the program for the Benin Cheetahs, who are also competing for a spot in the finals.
Last July, CAF conducted the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the African zone. The draw was not favorable for Benin, as they were placed in a fairly competitive group. The Cheetahs were drawn into Group C alongside South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. A tough challenge for the team under the guidance of coach Gernot Rorh, as South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Nigeria’s Super Eagles are considered favorites.
This Tuesday, the African Football Confederation published the schedule for these qualifying phases. Benin will kick off its campaign in November of this year with two away matches against South Africa and Lesotho, corresponding to the first and second matchdays of the qualifiers.
As a reminder, the winners of each group will automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The top four second-placed teams from the groups will participate in a CAF playoff tournament. The winner of this tournament will enter a second and final FIFA playoff round, where five other teams will compete. The top two teams from this round will qualify for the World Cup.
Below is the schedule for the Benin Cheetahs:
▪️ Matchdays 1 and 2: November 13-21, 2023 South Africa vs Benin
Lesotho vs Benin
▪️ Matchdays 3 and 4: June 3-11, 2024 Benin vs Rwanda
Benin vs Nigeria
▪️ Matchdays 5 and 6: March 17-25, 2025 Zimbabwe vs Benin
Benin vs South Africa
▪️ Matchdays 7 and 8: September 1-9, 2025 Benin vs Zimbabwe
Benin vs Lesotho
▪️ Matchdays 9 and 10: October 6-14, 2025 Rwanda vs Benin 🇧🇯
Nigeria vs Benin
