Rabat, Morocco – The stage don set! The Confederation of African Football (CAF) playoffs go gree-gree on Thursday for four teams wey dey ready to fight like lions: Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Na dis playoff go determine who fit enter FIFA intercontinental playoff tournament for March – last chance to join World Cup 2026 party for North America.
Dis four teams na di best runners-up from nine African qualifying groups, and di winner go keep di hopes of dem country alive to become di 10th African representative for di World Cup next year. This na serious matter o! (Na where all di big boys dey play.)
Morocco’s capital, Rabat, go host dis big showdown, using three stadiums for all di matches. Al Barid Stadium and Moulay El Hassan Stadium go dey for di semifinals, while di new Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, wey go also host di AFCON final on January 18, na di venue for di CAF playoff final.
Di semifinals go be on November 13, and we go sabi di champion on November 16 – just before we go chop turkey and jollof for Christmas! Di draw for di match setup happen based on di latest FIFA world rankings wey show Nigeria dey on top (#41), Cameroon (#54), Congo DR (#60), and Gabon (#77). See di ranking, e fit make anybody feel like dem dey for big league.
For di first semifinal, na No.1 (Nigeria) go face No.4 (Gabon), while No.2 (Cameroon) go battle No.3 (Congo DR). Di knockout round go set di stage for action wey fit be life or death for these nations. Whoever win dis match go move on to di intercontinental playoffs slated for March for Mexico.
Di World Cup go gather 48 teams — thanks to di expansion — and di longest tournament for history go run for 39 days. For di intercontinental playoff, dem go feature teams from di Americas, Asia, South America, and Oceania. Na serious international wahala we dey talk about here!
As it be, nine African countries don already qualify direct from CAF group stage: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia. Na dem dey represent Africa properly, as di hotspots for football action go dey across di US, Canada, and Mexico. Di first match go kick-off for Mexico City on June 11, while di grand finale go dey for New Jersey on July 19. E go sweet pass palm wine!
Cameroon dey come strong with 28-man squad, as dem prepare to face DR Congo. Coach Marc Brys don select experienced players like Yvan Neyou, Jean Onana, and more, as dem try keep di World Cup dream for life. Dem dey eye di AFCON finals as well, as Cameroon dey ready to face Gabon, Mozambique, and defending champions, Côte d’Ivoire. Na if you no sabi football, you go sabi dis wahala!
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