The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group I was a CAF qualifying group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The group contained Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros and Chad.
The group winners, Ghana, directly qualified for the World Cup. The group runners-up, Madagascar, were eliminated as one of the five worst runners-up.[1][2]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghana |
10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 6 | +17 | 25 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Madagascar |
10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 19 | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 3 | Mali |
10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 18 | 1–2 | 4–1 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Comoros |
10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 15 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | — | 4–2 | 1–0 | ||
| 5 | Central African Republic |
10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 24 | −13 | 8 | 0–5 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 6 | Chad |
10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 24 | −19 | 1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | — |
Matches
| Comoros | 4–2 | Central African Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast)
| Ghana | 1–0 | Madagascar |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Mali | 3–1 | Chad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Referee: Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)
| Chad | 0–3 | Madagascar |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Mali | 1–1 | Central African Republic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Central African Republic | 1–0 | Chad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Mali | 1–2 | Ghana |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Madagascar | 2–1 | Comoros |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (South Africa)
Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala (DR Congo)
| Ghana | 4–3 | Central African Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Madagascar | 0–0 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (South Africa)
Referee: Patrice Tanguy Mebiame (Gabon)
| Central African Republic | 1–4 | Madagascar |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Comoros | 0–3 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Berkane Municipal Stadium, Berkane (Morocco)
Referee: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (Sudan)
| Madagascar | 0–3 | Ghana |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Grand Stade d'Al Hoceima, Al Hoceima (Morocco)
Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)
| Comoros | 1–0 | Chad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Berkane Municipal Stadium, Berkane (Morocco)
Referee: Akaté Gnama (Togo)
| Madagascar | 2–0 | Central African Republic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Mali | 3–0 | Comoros |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Berkane Municipal Stadium, Berkane (Morocco)
Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)
| Central African Republic | 0–2 | Comoros |
|---|---|---|
| Report | M'Changama  20'Maolida 39' |
| Madagascar | 3–1 | Chad |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Ghana | 1–0 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Referee: Luxolo Badi (South Africa)
| Chad | 0–2 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Referee: Lebalang Mokete (Lesotho)
| Central African Republic | 0–5 | Ghana |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida (Morocco)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Patrice Milazare (Mauritius)
| Comoros | 1–2 | Madagascar |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
Attendance: 567
Referee: Samir Guezzaz (Morocco)
| Chad | 2–3 | Central African Republic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)
| Mali | 4–1 | Madagascar |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Goalscorers
There were 85 goals scored in 30 matches, for an average of 2.83 goals per match.
8 goals
7 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
- Hugo Gambor
- Geoffrey Kondogbia
- Delphin Mokonou
- Karl Namnganda
- Yves Allarabaye
- Youssouf M'Changama
- Kassim M'Dahoma
- Benjaloud Youssouf
- Abdul Fatawu
- Antoine Semenyo
- Kamaldeen Sulemana
- Hakim Abdallah
- Clément Couturier
- Loïc Lapoussin
- Johan N'Zi
- Lalaïna Rafanomezantsoa
- El Hadary Raheriniaina
- Lassana Coulibaly
- Gaoussou Diarra
- Youssoufou Niakaté
- Ibrahima Sissoko
1 own goal
- Abdel-Hakim Abdallah (against Central African Republic)
- Younn Zahary (against Central African Republic)
Discipline
A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following infractions:[4]
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions could be extended for serious infractions)
- Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions were carried forward to further qualification rounds, but not the finals or any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were served during the group stage:
| Team | Player | Infraction(s) | Suspended for match(es) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central African Republic | Louis Mafouta |  vs Ghana (10 June 2024) vs Mali (24 March 2025) | vs Madagascar (4 September 2025) |
| Karl Namnganda | vs Comoros (17 November 2023) vs Ghana (10 June 2024) | vs Madagascar (19 March 2025) | |
| Brad Pirioua | vs Mali (20 November 2023) vs Ghana (10 June 2024) | vs Madagascar (19 March 2025) | |
| Comoros | Kassim M'Dahoma | vs Madagascar (7 June 2024) vs Mali (20 March 2025) | vs Chad (25 March 2025) |
| Ghana | Elisha Owusu | vs Mali (6 June 2024) vs Chad (4 September 2025) | vs Mali (8 September 2025) |
| Madagascar | Ibrahim Amada | vs Comoros (7 June 2024) vs Mali (11 June 2024) | vs Central African Republic (19 March 2025) |
| Louis Démoléon |  vs Mali (11 June 2024) | vs Central African Republic (19 March 2025) | |
| Radoniaina Rabemanantsoa | vs Comoros (7 June 2024) vs Central African Republic (19 March 2025) | vs Ghana (24 March 2025) |
References
- "CAF Executive Committee approves FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers calendar and announces TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023 Final Draw date". CAF Online. CAF. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- "CAF reveals new format for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers". CAF Online. CAF. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- CAF Standings 2026 FIFA
- "Regulations: FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition" (PDF). FIFA. June 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.