(Reuters) - World Cup semi-finalists Morocco have been handed a gentle path to the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada after the draw was made for the African qualifiers in Abidjan on Thursday. The top team in each of the nine groups, which each contain six countries, qualify automatically for the World Cup. The four best runners-up will enter an African playoff stage, where the winners will feature in the inter-confederation playoffs to be held in March 2026. Nigeria and South Africa may each be wincing at their draw after being paired together, along with Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho. Nigeria and South Africa have a long-standing bitter rivalry and will not fancy facing each other.

Source: Egypt Today July 14, 2023 16:13 UTC