Fifa is live streaming CAF qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup on its Fifa+ platform in most countries worldwide.
The live streaming of the CAF qualifying campaign, which got underway today (Wednesday), comes after Fifa struck a deal in 2019 with the African football body to centralise the sale of rights to the matches.
Live streaming, which covers match day one and match day two initially, will be provided with English commentary and is available worldwide with the exceptions of Middle East and North Africa, India and Portugal. Streaming in sub-Saharan Africa will also be geo-blocked with the exception of Benin, Burundi, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Sao Tome e Principe, Seychelles, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Highlights of all matches will also be shown on Fifa+.
The output builds on the live streaming on Fifa+ of the new African Football League. Fifa+ also recently streamed action from selected Conmebol-zone World Cup qualifiers in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fifa reached agreement with CAF members in August 2019 to centralise the sale of media rights to African qualifiers for the 2022 and 2026 World Cups. Three months later, Fifa went to market for the CAF qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, with IMG picking up the contract in most international territories.
Fifa issued an invitation to tender in July for the centralised broadcast rights to the 2026 CAF qualifying competition.
A record nine African teams will compete at the expanded 48-team World Cup across USA, Canada and Mexico with a 10th side to compete in the Fifa play-off tournament.
As well as more qualification spots on offer, there has also been a change to the qualification system for 2026, meaning much more inventory for media companies. It is the first time that all 54 CAF affiliated national teams are competing together from the outset of the tournament, meaning there are a record 273 qualifying matches played across the continent between now and November 2025.