2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF First Round

The first round of CAF matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 7 to 17 October 2015.[1]

Format

A total of 26 teams (teams ranked 28–53 in the CAF entrant list) played home-and-away over two legs. The 13 winners advanced to the second round.

Seeding

The draw for the first round was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia.[2][3][4]

The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of July 2015 (shown in parentheses).[5] The 26 teams are seeded into two pots:

Each tie contained a team from Pot 4 and a team from Pot 5, with the team from Pot 4 hosting the second leg.

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the second round.

Pot 4 Pot 5
  1.  Niger (96)
  2.  Ethiopia (101)
  3.  Malawi (108)
  4.  Sierra Leone (111)
  5.  Namibia (114)
  6.  Kenya (116)
  7.  Botswana (120)
  8.  Madagascar (122)
  9.  Mauritania (128)
  10.  Burundi (131)
  11.  Lesotho (131)
  12.  Guinea-Bissau (133)
  13.  Swaziland (138)
  1.  Tanzania (139)
  2.  Gambia (143)
  3.  Liberia (161)
  4.  Central African Republic (170)
  5.  Chad (173)
  6.  Mauritius (180)
  7.  Seychelles (186)
  8.  Comoros (187)
  9.  São Tomé and Príncipe (189)
  10.  South Sudan (195)
  11.  Eritrea (204)
  12.  Somalia (205)
  13.  Djibouti (207)

Matches

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Somalia  0–6  Niger 0–2 0–4
South Sudan  1–5  Mauritania 1–1 0–4
Gambia  2–3  Namibia 1–1 1–2
São Tomé and Príncipe  1–3  Ethiopia 1–0 0–3
Chad  2–2 (a)  Sierra Leone 1–0 1–2
Comoros  1–1 (a)  Lesotho 0–0 1–1
Djibouti  1–8  Swaziland 0–6 1–2
Eritrea  1–5  Botswana 0–2 1–3
Seychelles  0–3  Burundi 0–1 0–2
Liberia  4–2  Guinea-Bissau 1–1 3–1
Central African Republic  2–5  Madagascar 0–3 2–2
Mauritius  2–5  Kenya 2–5 0–0
Tanzania  2–1  Malawi 2–0 0–1

9 October 2015 (2015-10-09)
15:30 UTC+3
Somalia  0–2  Niger
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Maâzou  58', 62' (pen.)
Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)[note 1]
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Haithem Kossaï (Tunisia)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
16:00 UTC+1
Niger  4–0  Somalia
Cissé  13', 68'
Maâzou  18', 32'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Falou Galasse Kane (Senegal)

Niger won 6–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Cameroon.

7 October 2015 (2015-10-07)
16:30 UTC+3
South Sudan  1–1[note 2]  Mauritania
Abui Pretino  5' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Bagili  3'
Juba Stadium, Juba
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Rajab Bakasambe (Uganda)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
17:00 UTC±0
Mauritania  4–0  South Sudan
Ahmed  4'
Bagili  62'
M. Samba  85'
Diakité  90+2'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Stade Olympique, Nouakchott
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Fidel Gomes (Guinea-Bissau)

Mauritania won 5–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Tunisia.

9 October 2015 (2015-10-09)
17:00 UTC±0
Gambia  1–1  Namibia
Jammeh  78' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Stephanus  61'
Independence Stadium, Bakau
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Ousmane Karembe (Mali)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
16:00 UTC+2
Namibia  2–1  Gambia
Stephanus  42'
Somaeb  63'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Dibba  10'
Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Joshua Bondo (Botswana)

Namibia won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Guinea.

8 October 2015 (2015-10-08)
15:00 UTC±0
São Tomé and Príncipe  1–0  Ethiopia
Leal  87' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho, São Tomé
Attendance: 4,550
Referee: Alhadi Mahamat (Chad)

11 October 2015 (2015-10-11)
16:00 UTC+3
Ethiopia  3–0  São Tomé and Príncipe
Fekadu  1'
Panom  48' (pen.)
Lok  75'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa
Attendance: 23,840
Referee: Jean Claude Ishimwe (Rwanda)

Ethiopia won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Congo.

10 October 2015 (2015-10-10)
15:30 UTC+1
Chad  1–0  Sierra Leone
Djimrangar  47' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Stade Omnisports Idriss Mahamat Ouya, N'Djamena
Attendance: 2,664
Referee: Kokou Fagla (Togo)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
15:00 UTC+1
Sierra Leone  2–1  Chad
Kamara  70'
Sesay  79'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Djimrangar  45+2'

2–2 on aggregate. Chad won on the away goals rule and advanced to the second round against Egypt.

7 October 2015 (2015-10-07)
15:00 UTC+3
Comoros  0–0  Lesotho
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Stade de Moroni, Moroni
Attendance: 2,800
Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
18:00 UTC+2
Lesotho  1–1  Comoros
Seturumane  17' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 M'Changama  71'
Setsoto Stadium, Maseru
Attendance: 480
Referee: Samuel Chirindza (Mozambique)

1–1 on aggregate. Comoros won on the away goals rule and advanced to the second round against Ghana.

9 October 2015 (2015-10-09)
16:00 UTC+3
Djibouti  0–6  Swaziland
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Mkhontfo  45+1'
Ndzinisa  62'
M. Dlamini  74'
Hlatjwako  77'
T. Tsabedze  83'
Lukhele  85'
Stade National El-Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon, Djibouti
Attendance: 10,050
Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi)

17 October 2015 (2015-10-17)[note 4]
16:00 UTC+2
Swaziland  2–1  Djibouti
Hlatjwako  6', 43' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Issa  22'
Somhlolo National Stadium, Lobamba
Attendance: 2,141
Referee: Ganesh Chutooree (Mauritius)

Swaziland won 8–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Nigeria.

10 October 2015 (2015-10-10)
16:00 UTC+3
Eritrea  0–2  Botswana
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Moyana  22'
Mogorosi  64'
Cicero Stadium, Asmara
Attendance: 9,950
Referee: Ibrahim Nour El Din (Egypt)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
20:00 UTC+2
Botswana  3–1  Eritrea
Ngele  15', 79'
Mogorosi  21'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Goitom  9'
Francistown Stadium, Francistown
Attendance: 15,073
Referee: Nelson Fred (Seychelles)

Botswana won 5–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Mali. [note 5]

7 October 2015 (2015-10-07)
16:30 UTC+4
Seychelles  0–1  Burundi
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Abdul Razak  15'
People's Stadium, Roche Caiman
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Lemma Nigussie (Ethiopia)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
15:00 UTC+2
Burundi  2–0  Seychelles
Abdul Razak  71' (pen.), 81' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium, Bujumbura
Attendance: 6,095
Referee: Hafiz Abdelghani Alamen (Sudan)

Burundi won 3–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against DR Congo.

8 October 2015 (2015-10-08)
16:00 UTC±0
Liberia  1–1  Guinea-Bissau
Jebor  36' (pen.) Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Baldé  63'
Antoinette Tubman Stadium, Monrovia
Attendance: 10,100
Referee: Fabricio Duarte (Cape Verde)

13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
16:00 UTC±0
Guinea-Bissau  1–3  Liberia
Cassamá  43' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Jebor  8', 12', 90+6'
Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Ferdinand Udoh (Nigeria)

Liberia won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Ivory Coast.

Madagascar won 5–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Senegal.

7 October 2015 (2015-10-07)
18:30 UTC+4
Mauritius  2–5  Kenya
Sophie  66' (pen.)
Bru  78'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)		 Omolo  18', 82'
Masika  23'
Shakava  49'
Olunga  87'
Stade Anjalay, Belle Vue Maurel
Attendance: 2,300
Referee: Duncan Lengani (Malawi)

11 October 2015 (2015-10-11)
16:00 UTC+3
Kenya  0–0  Mauritius
Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Mandeng Cosmas (Cameroon)

Kenya won 5–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Cape Verde.

7 October 2015 (2015-10-07)
16:00 UTC+3
Tanzania  2–0  Malawi
Samatta  18'
Ulimwengu  22'		 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam
Attendance: 11,474
Referee: Hagi Wiish (Somalia)

11 October 2015 (2015-10-11)
14:00 UTC+2
Malawi  1–0  Tanzania
Banda  43' Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre
Attendance: 7,656
Referee: Hélder Martins de Carvalho (Angola)

Tanzania won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round against Algeria.

Goalscorers

There were 68 goals scored in 26 matches, for an average of 2.62 goals per match.

4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal

Notes

  1. ↑ Somalia played their home leg in Ethiopia due to the Somali Civil War.
  2. ↑ The South Sudan v Mauritania match was suspended after 10 minutes due to torrential rain, with the score 1–1 at the time. The match was resumed on 8 October 2015, 11:00 UTC+3.[6]
  3. ↑ Sierra Leone played their home leg in Nigeria due to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.
  4. ↑ Swaziland v Djibouti were to originally kick off on 13 October 2015, 19:00 UTC+3, but has been postponed to 17 October 2015, due to the inability of Djibouti's national team to arrive on time for the game.[7]
  5. ↑ After the Eritrea-Botswana match, ten Eritrea players refused to return home and sought asylum in Botswana.[8]
  6. ↑ The Central African Republic played their home leg in Madagascar due to the Central African Republic Civil War.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Preliminary Draw procedures outlined". fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: Procedure for the preliminary draw". CAF. 21 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Draw Procedures – African Zone" (PDF). FIFA.com.
  4. ↑ "Results of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Preliminary Draw". CAF. 25 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – July 2015 (CAF)". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "World Cup debutants South Sudan draw". CAFonline.com. 8 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Swaziland, Djibouti W/Cup Qualifier Postponed". Complete Sports. 13 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Eritrean football players seek asylum in Botswana". BBC. 15 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Qualifying match between Central African Republic and Madagascar rescheduled". FIFA.com. 30 September 2015.

External links

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