The top 20 ranked African national football teams will avoid each other in the first and second qualifying rounds for the 2018 World Cup, FIFA confirmed Thursday. A spokesman in Zurich for the world football governing body said the draws would be made on July 25 in Russian city Saint Petersburg, subject to approval at an eve-of-ceremony meeting.
Only Zimbabwe of the 54 African football nations will not be included as they were disqualified for failing to pay former national coach, Brazilian Jose Claudinei Georgini. South Sudan are the lone debutants and must be hoping for more success than when they first played in the Africa Cup of Nations two years ago and suffered a 5-0 hiding from Mozambique.
The first two rounds consist of home-and-away ties decided by goal aggregate, and the October and November matches will trim the field from 53 hopefuls to 20. Among those expected to reach the third and final qualifying stage will be No 1 ranked African national team Algeria and 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winners Ivory Coast. Of the 13 countries that have represented Africa at the World Cup, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa are within the top 20. But Togo, Morocco and Angola are not, meaning they will be unseeded in the second-round draw, raising the possibility of a showdown against a giant.