In the new African format, just the winners of the nine six-team groups are guaranteed a place at the World Cup. The draw followed the Confederation of African Football's general assembly in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the West African country that will host the next African Cup of Nations in January-February. The Sudanese neighbors will play each other in World Cup qualifying having split into independent states in 2011 after decades of civil war. Egypt played at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after a 28-year absence but missed Qatar. Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon and Ghana were the five teams from Africa to qualify for the World Cup last year.
