The second round of CAF matches for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was played over six matchdays, from 1 September to 16 November 2021.
Format The second round saw the top 26 ranked CAF teams joined by the 14 winners from the first round . These teams were drawn into ten groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winners of each group advanced to the third round .
Seeding The draw for the second round was held on 21 January 2020, 19:00 CAT (UTC+2), at the Nile Ritz-Carlton in Cairo, Egypt.[1]
The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of December 2019 (shown in parentheses below).[2]
Note: Bolded teams qualified for the third round.
† First round winners
Schedule Below is the schedule of the second round of CAF 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[3] After the rescheduling of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final tournament from June/July to January/February, the dates of Matchdays 1 and 2 of the second round were rescheduled.[4] Because the competition was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic , the schedule of the second round was revised again and on 19 August 2020 CAF announced the new dates, and the entire second round was postponed to 2021.[5] On 6 May 2021, the second round was once again postponed due to the pandemic, and all matches were rescheduled to be played between September and November 2021.[6]
Matchday Dates Matches Matchday 1 1–3 September 2021[a] 1 v 4, 3 v 2 Matchday 2 5–7 September 2021[b] 2 v 1, 4 v 3 Matchday 3 6–9 October 2021[c] 1 v 3, 4 v 2 Matchday 4 10–12 October 2021[d] 3 v 1, 2 v 4 Matchday 5 11–13 November 2021[e] 4 v 1, 2 v 3 Matchday 6 14–16 November 2021[f] 1 v 2, 3 v 4
^ Matchday 1 originally scheduled for 23–31 March 2020, later for 5–13 October 2020, then 5–8 June 2021. ^ Matchday 2 originally scheduled for 1–9 June 2020, later for 9–17 November 2020, then 11–14 June 2021. ^ Matchday 3 originally scheduled for 22–26 March 2021, later for 1–4 June 2021, then 1–4 September 2021. ^ Matchday 4 originally scheduled for 27–30 March 2021, later for 5–8 June 2021, then 5–8 September 2021. ^ Matchday 5 originally scheduled for 30 August – 7 September 2021, then 6–9 October 2021. ^ Matchday 6 originally scheduled for 4–12 October 2021, then 10–12 October 2021. Groups Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Algeria 6 4 2 0 25 4 +21 14 Advance to third round — 2–2 6–1 8–0 2 Burkina Faso 6 3 3 0 12 4 +8 12 1–1 — 1–1 2–0 3 Niger 6 2 1 3 13 17 −4 7 0–4 0–2 — 7–2 4 Djibouti 6 0 0 6 4 29 −25 0 0–4 0–4 2–4 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 2 September 2021 (2021-09-02 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (
Rwanda )
2 September 2021 (2021-09-02 )
20:00 UTC+1
6 September 2021 (2021-09-06 )
14:00 UTC+1
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
20:00 UTC+1
8 October 2021 (2021-10-08 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea (
Ghana )
8 October 2021 (2021-10-08 )
20:00 UTC+1
11 October 2021 (2021-10-11 )
17:00 UTC+1
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12 )
17:00 UTC+1
12 November 2021 (2021-11-12 )
14:00 UTC+1
12 November 2021 (2021-11-12 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (
Benin )
15 November 2021 (2021-11-15 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Mohamed Youssouf Athoumani (
Comoros )
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
20:00 UTC+1
Group B
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 3 September 2021 (2021-09-03 )
16:00 UTC±0
3 September 2021 (2021-09-03 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Daniel Laryea Nii Ayi (
Ghana )
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
15:00 UTC+2
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Hélder Martins de Carvalho (
Angola )
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Noureddine El Jaafari (
Morocco )
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
20:00 UTC+1
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
18:00 UTC+2
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
19:00 UTC±0
13 November 2021 (2021-11-13 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (
Sudan )
13 November 2021 (2021-11-13 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 500
Referee: Boubou Traoré (
Mali )
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (
Burundi )
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
19:00 UTC±0
Group C
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 1 September 2021 (2021-09-01 )
14:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Peter Waweru (
Kenya )
3 September 2021 (2021-09-03 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Kouassi Attisso Attiogbe (
Togo )
6 September 2021 (2021-09-06 )
16:00 UTC±0
Attendance: 0
Referee: Sekou Ahmed Touré (
Guinea )
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
15:00 UTC−1
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
13:00 UTC±0
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
17:00 UTC+1
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
14:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 450
Referee: Louis Hakizimana (
Rwanda )
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
15:00 UTC−1
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (
Niger )
13 November 2021 (2021-11-13 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Youssef Essrayri (
Tunisia )
13 November 2021 (2021-11-13 )
15:00 UTC−1
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Daniel Nii Ayi Laryea (
Ghana )
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
17:00 UTC+1
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
17:00 UTC+1
Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Cameroon 6 5 0 1 12 3 +9 15 Advance to third round — 1–0 3–1 2–0 2 Ivory Coast 6 4 1 1 10 3 +7 13 2–1 — 3–0 2–1 3 Mozambique 6 1 1 4 2 8 −6 4 0–1 0–0 — 1–0 4 Malawi 6 1 0 5 2 12 −10 3 0–4 0–3 1–0 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 3 September 2021 (2021-09-03 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (
Burundi )
3 September 2021 (2021-09-03 )
20:00 UTC+1
6 September 2021 (2021-09-06 )
19:00 UTC±0
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Souleiman Ahmed Djama (
Djibouti )
8 October 2021 (2021-10-08 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Peter Waweru (
Kenya )
8 October 2021 (2021-10-08 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Mohamed Marouf (
Egypt )
11 October 2021 (2021-10-11 )
14:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Sabri Mohamed Fadul (
Sudan )
11 October 2021 (2021-10-11 )
17:00 UTC+1
13 November 2021 (2021-11-13 )
15:00 UTC+2
13 November 2021 (2021-11-13 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ahmed El Ghandour (
Egypt )
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
14:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Hassan Mohamed Hagi (
Somalia )
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
20:00 UTC+1
Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Mali 6 5 1 0 11 0 +11 16 Advance to third round — 1–0 5–0 1–0 2 Uganda 6 2 3 1 3 2 +1 9 0–0 — 1–1 1–0 3 Kenya 6 1 3 2 4 9 −5 6 0–1 0–0 — 2–1 4 Rwanda 6 0 1 5 2 9 −7 1 0–3 0–1 1–1 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 1 September 2021 (2021-09-01 )
20:00 UTC+1
2 September 2021 (2021-09-02 )
16:00 UTC+3
Attendance: 560
Referee: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (
Sudan )
5 September 2021 (2021-09-05 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (
Nigeria )
6 September 2021 (2021-09-06 )
16:00 UTC+3
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
18:00 UTC+2
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
20:00 UTC+1
Mali 5–0 Kenya A. M. Traoré 8' Koné 22' , 36' , 45' (pen.) Doumbia 85' Report
Attendance: 0
Referee: Youssef Essrayri (
Tunisia )
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
16:00 UTC+3
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
16:00 UTC+3
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
16:00 UTC+3
Attendance: 500
Referee: Souleiman Ahmed Djama (
Djibouti )
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
18:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Hélder Martins de Carvalho (
Angola )
14 November 2021 (2021-11-14 )
17:00 UTC+1
15 November 2021 (2021-11-15 )
16:00 UTC+3
Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Egypt 6 4 2 0 10 4 +6 14 Advance to third round — 2–1 1–0 1–0 2 Gabon 6 2 1 3 7 8 −1 7 1–1 — 1–0 2–0 3 Libya 6 2 1 3 4 7 −3 7 0–3 2–1 — 1–1 4 Angola 6 1 2 3 6 8 −2 5 2–2 3–1 0–1 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 1 September 2021 (2021-09-01 )
21:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Boubou Traoré (
Mali )
1 September 2021 (2021-09-01 )
21:00 UTC+2
5 September 2021 (2021-09-05 )
20:00 UTC+1
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Messie Nkounkou (
Congo )
8 October 2021 (2021-10-08 )
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Souleiman Ahmed Djama (
Djibouti )
8 October 2021 (2021-10-08 )
21:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (
Burundi )
11 October 2021 (2021-10-11 )
14:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Maguette N'Diaye (
Senegal )
11 October 2021 (2021-10-11 )
21:00 UTC+2
12 November 2021 (2021-11-12 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Mashood Ssali (
Uganda )
12 November 2021 (2021-11-12 )
20:00 UTC+1
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Georges Gatogato (
Burundi )
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
15:00 UTC+2
Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Ghana 6 4 1 1 7 3 +4 13 Advance to third round — 1–0[a] 1–0 3–1 2 South Africa 6 4 1 1 6 2 +4 13 1–0 — 1–0 1–0 3 Ethiopia 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5 1–1 1–3 — 1–0 4 Zimbabwe 6 0 2 4 2 7 −5 2 0–1 0–0 1–1 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers Notes:
^ An appeal by the South African Football Association alleging that the match had been fixed was declared inadmissible by FIFA.[9] [10] [11] 3 September 2021 (2021-09-03 )
15:00 UTC+2
National Sports Stadium, Harare Attendance: 0
Referee: Mahmoud El Banna (
Egypt )
3 September 2021 (2021-09-03 )
19:00 UTC±0
6 September 2021 (2021-09-06 )
18:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Derrick Kasokota Kafuli (
Zambia )
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
16:00 UTC+3
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09 )
16:00 UTC+3
Attendance: 0
Referee: Shuhoub Abdulbasit (
Libya )
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09 )
16:00 UTC±0
Referee: Pierre Atcho (
Gabon )
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12 )
15:00 UTC+2
National Sports Stadium, Harare Attendance: 0
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12 )
18:00 UTC+2
Referee: Georges Gatogato (
Burundi )
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
15:00 UTC+2
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
21:00 UTC+2
14 November 2021 (2021-11-14 )
15:00 UTC+2
National Sports Stadium, Harare Attendance: 0
Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (
Niger )
14 November 2021 (2021-11-14 )
21:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Maguette N'Diaye (
Senegal )
Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Senegal 6 5 1 0 15 4 +11 16 Advance to third round — 2–0 4–1 2–0 2 Togo 6 2 2 2 5 6 −1 8 1–1 — 0–1 1–1 3 Namibia 6 1 2 3 5 10 −5 5 1–3 0–1 — 1–1 4 Congo 6 0 3 3 5 10 −5 3 1–3 1–2 1–1 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 1 September 2021 (2021-09-01 )
16:00 UTC±0
2 September 2021 (2021-09-02 )
18:00 UTC+2
5 September 2021 (2021-09-05 )
16:00 UTC±0
Attendance: 0
Referee: Omar Abdulkadir Artan (
Somalia )
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (
Niger )
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09 )
16:00 UTC±0
Referee: Sekou Ahmed Touré (
Guinea )
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09 )
19:00 UTC±0
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Mohamed Youssouf Athoumani (
Comoros )
12 October 2021 (2021-10-12 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (
Benin )
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
17:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (
Rwanda )
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
19:00 UTC±0
14 November 2021 (2021-11-14 )
21:00 UTC+2
15 November 2021 (2021-11-15 )
15:00 UTC+2
Attendance: 0
Referee: Pierre Atcho (
Gabon )
Group I
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Morocco 6 6 0 0 20 1 +19 18 Advance to third round — 5–0 3–0 2–0 2 Guinea-Bissau 6 1 3 2 5 11 −6 6 0–3 — 1–1 0–0 3 Guinea 6 0 4 2 5 11 −6 4 1–4 0–0 — 2–2 4 Sudan 6 0 3 3 5 12 −7 3 0–3 2–4 1–1 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers 1 September 2021 (2021-09-01 )
16:00 UTC±0
Attendance: 500
Referee: Mutaz Ibrahim (
Libya )
2 September 2021 (2021-09-02 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Maguette N'Diaye (
Senegal )
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
21:00 UTC+2
6 October 2021 (2021-10-06 )
17:00 UTC+1
6 October 2021 (2021-10-06 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Boubou Traoré (
Mali )
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09 )
14:00 UTC+1
9 October 2021 (2021-10-09 )
20:00 UTC+1
12 November 2021 (2021-11-12 )
16:00 UTC±0
Attendance: 0
Referee: Mohamed Marouf (
Egypt )
12 November 2021 (2021-11-12 )
20:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Peter Waweru (
Kenya )
15 November 2021 (2021-11-15 )
17:00 UTC+1
16 November 2021 (2021-11-16 )
20:00 UTC+1
Group J
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 DR Congo 6 3 2 1 9 3 +6 11 Advance to third round — 2–0[a] 1–1 2–0 2 Benin 6 3 1 2 5 4 +1 10 1–1 — 0–1 2–0 3 Tanzania 6 2 2 2 6 8 −2 8 0–3 0–1 — 3–2 4 Madagascar 6 1 1 4 4 9 −5 4 1–0 0–1 1–1 —
Source: FIFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification:
Tiebreakers Notes:
^ An appeal by the Benin Football Federation alleging that DR Congo had violated the substitution rules in the match was declared inadmissible by FIFA.[14] [11] 2 September 2021 (2021-09-02 )
15:00 UTC+2
2 September 2021 (2021-09-02 )
19:00 UTC+3
6 September 2021 (2021-09-06 )
14:00 UTC+1
7 September 2021 (2021-09-07 )
16:00 UTC+3
Attendance: 0
Referee: Mashood Ssali (
Uganda )
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
14:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 0
Referee: Antonio Caluassi Dungula (
Angola )
7 October 2021 (2021-10-07 )
16:00 UTC+3
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
14:00 UTC+1
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Omar Abdulkadir Artan (
Somalia )
10 October 2021 (2021-10-10 )
19:00 UTC+3
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
16:00 UTC+3
11 November 2021 (2021-11-11 )
17:00 UTC+1
14 November 2021 (2021-11-14 )
14:00 UTC+1
14 November 2021 (2021-11-14 )
16:00 UTC+3
Goalscorers There were 289 goals scored in 120 matches, for an average of 2.41 goals per match.
7 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
Notes ^ The Angola v Gabon match, originally to be played at 17:00 UTC+1, was delayed by 90 minutes because the Gabonese players did not undergo COVID-19 tests when arriving Luanda.[8] ^ An appeal by the South African Football Association alleging that the match had been fixed was declared inadmissible by FIFA.[12] [13] [11] ^ Originally to be played on 6 September 2021 at the General Lansana Conté Stadium in Conakry , the Guinea v Morocco match was postponed and relocated due to security concerns following the 2021 Guinean coup d'état . ^ An appeal by the Benin Football Federation alleging that DR Congo had violated the substitution rules in the match was declared inadmissible by FIFA.[15] [11] References ^ "FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers: draws to take centre stage in South America and Africa". FIFA . 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019 . ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – December 2019 (CAF)". FIFA.com. 19 December 2019. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. ^ "INTERNATIONAL MATCH CALENDAR 2020–2024" (PDF) . FIFA. October 2019. ^ "CAF reschedules dates of Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers". Ahram Online. 16 January 2020. ^ "Cameroon 2021 qualifiers resume November, Qatar 2022 set for May 2021". cafonline.com. 19 August 2020. ^ "Update on African qualifiers for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". fifa.com. 6 May 2021. ^ "Niger-Algérie : 2000 spectateurs présents à Niamey". dzballon.com . Farid Kada Rabah. 11 October 2021. ^ "Postponing the start of the match between Angola and Gabon, amid possibilities of cancellation". middleeast.in-24.com . 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021 . ^ "South Africa claim betting spike during Ghana World Cup qualifying game". BBC. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021 . ^ Ntloko, Mninawa (22 November 2021). "D-Day for SA as Fifa committee meets to decide Bafana's World Cup fate". TimesLIVE. ^ a b c d "Protests by South Africa and Benin dismissed by FIFA". Fresno Bee. 4 December 2021. [permanent dead link ] ^ "South Africa claim betting spike during Ghana World Cup qualifying game". BBC. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021 . ^ Ntloko, Mninawa (22 November 2021). "D-Day for SA as Fifa committee meets to decide Bafana's World Cup fate". TimesLIVE. ^ "Fifa confirms receipt of Benin protest over DR Congo substitutes". BBC. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021 . ^ "Fifa confirms receipt of Benin protest over DR Congo substitutes". BBC. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021 . External links Official FIFA World Cup website Qualifiers – Africa Matches: Round 2, FIFA.com AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA Play-offs AFC v CONMEBOL CONCACAF v OFC