The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that African qualification for the 2030 FIFA World Cup will officially commence in March 2026, as detailed in its newly released competition calendar for the year.

The calendar reveals a heavily congested 2026 season that will place intense physical and logistical pressure on players, clubs, and national teams across the continent. 

CAF’s programme combines top tier club competitions, World Cup qualifiers, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches, as well as youth and Olympic tournaments, leaving little room for rest at any stage of the year.

CAF’s flagship club competitions will reach their peak in May. The CAF Confederation Cup final will be decided over two legs scheduled for May 9 and May 16, 2026. 

Shortly after, the CAF Champions League final will also be played over two legs, with the first leg fixed for May 15 and the return leg on May 24. Earlier in the season, Matchdays 4 and 5 of the group stages for both competitions are slated for January 31 to February 7, while the dates for Matchday 6 remain unconfirmed.

On the international stage, national teams will turn their attention early in the year to World Cup qualification. CAF has set aside March 23 to March 31, 2026, for the African preliminary round of the 2030 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. This phase will be followed by the official World Cup preparation window, which begins on June 1, further intensifying the mid-year international schedule.

The closing months of the year will be dominated by qualification matches for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. AFCON qualifying rounds one to four are scheduled to run between September 21 and October 6, while the final two rounds will take place from November 9 to November 17. The CAF Super Cup, scheduled for October 31, will officially bring the elite club season to an end.

Youth and Olympic football will also feature prominently in the packed calendar. African qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar will be held from April 25 to May 15, overlapping with the decisive stages of CAF’s major club competitions. 

In addition, preliminary qualification rounds for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will be conducted in two phases, from September 28 to October 4 and again from November 9 to November 17.

With multiple competitions running concurrently across all levels, CAF’s 2026 calendar underlines a demanding year that will test squad depth, player welfare management, and strategic planning throughout African football.