1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
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Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African zone (CAF). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 38 CAF teams entered the competition. However, 
Mali and 
Niger both withdrew before the draw was made. The African Zone was allocated 5 places (out of 32) in the final tournament.
There would be two rounds of play:
- First Round: Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt, the 4 best ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the Final Round directly. The remaining 32 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the Final Round.
- Final Round: The 20 teams were divided into 5 groups of 4 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.
First round
June 2, 1996, Khartoum, Sudan - 
Sudan 2 - 0 Zambia 
June 16, 1996, Lusaka, Zambia - Zambia 3 - 0 Sudan
Zambia advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 3-2.
June 1, 1996, Windhoek, Namibia - 
Namibia 2 - 0 Mozambique 
June 16, 1996, Maputo, Mozambique - Mozambique 1 - 1 Namibia
Namibia advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 3-1.
June 8, 1996, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania - 
Tanzania 0 - 0 Ghana 
June 17, 1996, Accra, Ghana - Ghana 2 - 1 Tanzania
Ghana advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 2-1.
June 2, 1996, Mbabane, Swaziland - 
Eswatini 0 - 1 Gabon 
June 16, 1996, Libreville, Gabon - Gabon 2 - 0 Eswatini
Gabon advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 3-0.
June 1, 1996, Kampala, Uganda - 
Uganda 0 - 2 Angola 
June 16, 1996, Luanda, Angola - Angola 3 - 1 Uganda
Angola advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 5-1.
June 2, 1996, Curepipe, Mauritius - 
Mauritius 1 - 5 Zaire 
June 16, 1996, Kinshasa, Zaire - Zaire 2 - 0 Mauritius
Zaire advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 7-1.
June 1, 1996, Blantyre, Malawi - 
Malawi 0 - 1 South Africa 
June 15, 1996, Johannesburg, South Africa - South Africa 3 - 0 Malawi
South Africa advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 4-0.
June 2, 1996, Antananarivo, Madagascar - 
Madagascar 1 - 2 Zimbabwe 
June 15, 1996, Dakar, Senegal - Zimbabwe 2 - 2 Madagascar
Zimbabwe advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 4-3.
June 1, 1996, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau - 
Guinea-Bissau 3 - 2 Guinea 
June 16, 1996, Conakry, Guinea - Guinea 3 - 1 Guinea-Bissau
Guinea advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 5-4.
June 2, 1996, Kigali, Rwanda - 
Rwanda 1 - 3 Tunisia 
June 16, 1996, Tunis, Tunisia - Tunisia 2 - 0 Rwanda
Tunisia advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 5-1.
June 2, 1996, Brazzaville, Congo - 
Congo 2 - 0 Ivory Coast 
June 16, 1996, Abidjan, Ivory Coast - Ivory Coast 1 - 1 Congo
Republic of the Congo advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 3-1.
June 2, 1996, Nairobi, Kenya - 
Kenya 3 - 1 Algeria 
June 14, 1996, Algiers, Algeria - Algeria 1 - 0 Kenya
Kenya advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 3-2.
June 2, 1996, Bujumbura, Burundi - 
Burundi 1 - 0 Sierra Leone 
June 15, 1996, Freetown, Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone 0 - 1 Burundi
Burundi advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 2-0 but withdrew before the Final Round started, so Sierra Leone took their place and advanced to the Final Round.
May 31, 1996, Nouakchott, Mauritania - 
Mauritania 0 - 0 Burkina Faso 
June 16, 1996, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - Burkina Faso 2 - 0 Mauritania
Burkina Faso advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 2-0.
June 2, 1996, Lomé, Togo - 
Togo 2 - 1 Senegal 
June 15, 1996, Dakar, Senegal - Senegal 1 - 1 Togo
Togo advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 3-2.
June 1, 1996, Banjul, Gambia - 
Gambia 2 - 1 Liberia 
June 23, 1996, Accra, Ghana - Liberia 4 - 0 Gambia
Liberia advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 5-2.
Final round
Group 1
November 9, 1996, Lagos, Nigeria - 
Nigeria 2 - 0 Burkina Faso
November 10, 1996, Conakry, Guinea - Guinea 3 - 1 Kenya
January 12, 1997, Nairobi, Kenya - Kenya 1 - 1 Nigeria
January 12, 1997, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - Burkina Faso 0 - 2 Guinea
April 5, 1997, Lagos, Nigeria - Nigeria 2 - 1 Guinea
April 6, 1997, Nairobi, Kenya - Kenya 4 - 3 Burkina Faso
April 27, 1997, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - Burkina Faso 1 - 2 Nigeria
April 27, 1997, Nairobi, Kenya - Kenya 1 - 0 Guinea
June 7, 1997, Lagos, Nigeria - Nigeria 3 - 0 Kenya
June 8, 1997, Conakry, Guinea - Guinea 3 - 1 Burkina Faso
August 16, 1997, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso - Burkina Faso 2 - 4 Kenya
August 17, 1997, Conakry, Guinea - Guinea 1 - 0 Nigeria
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Guinea
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | Kenya
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 10 |
| 4 | Burkina Faso
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 0 |
Nigeria qualified.
Group 2
November 8, 1996, Cairo, Egypt - 
Egypt 7 - 1 Namibia
November 10, 1996, Accra, Ghana - Liberia 0 - 1 Tunisia
January 11, 1997, Windhoek, Namibia - Namibia 0 - 0 Liberia
January 12, 1997, Tunis, Tunisia - Tunisia 1 - 0 Egypt
April 6, 1997, Accra, Ghana - Liberia 1 - 0 Egypt
April 6, 1997, Windhoek, Namibia - Namibia 1 - 2 Tunisia
April 26, 1997, Windhoek, Namibia - Namibia 2 - 3 Egypt
April 27, 1997, Tunis, Tunisia - Tunisia 2 - 0 Liberia
June 8, 1997, Monrovia, Liberia - Liberia 1 - 2 Namibia
June 8, 1997, Cairo, Egypt - Egypt 0 - 0 Tunisia
August 17, 1997, Cairo, Egypt - Egypt 5 - 0 Liberia
August 17, 1997, Tunis, Tunisia - Tunisia 4 - 0 Namibia
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunisia
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 16 |
| 2 | Egypt
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 3 | Liberia
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 4 |
| 4 | Namibia
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 17 | -11 | 4 |
Tunisia qualified.
Group 3
November 9, 1996, Johannesburg, South Africa - South Africa 1 - 0 Zaire
November 10, 1996, Pointe-Noire, Congo - Congo 1 - 0 Zambia
January 11, 1997, Lusaka, Zambia - Zambia 0 - 0 South Africa
January 12, 1997, Kinshasa, Zaire - Zaire 1 - 1 Congo
April 6, 1997, Pointe-Noire, Congo - Congo 2 - 0 South Africa
April 9, 1997, Harare, Zimbabwe - Zaire 2 - 2 Zambia
April 27, 1997, Lusaka, Zambia - Zambia 3 - 0 Congo
April 27, 1997, Lomé, Togo - Zaire 1 - 2 South Africa
In May 1997, Zaire were renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo DR).
June 8, 1997, Pointe-Noire, Congo - Congo 1 - 0 DR Congo 
June 8, 1997, Johannesburg, South Africa - South Africa 3 - 0 Zambia
August 16, 1997, Johannesburg, South Africa - South Africa 1 - 0 Congo
August 16, 1997, Lusaka, Zambia - Zambia 2 - 0 DR Congo
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | Congo
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | Zambia
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | DR Congo
|
6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 2 |
South Africa qualified.
Group 4
November 10, 1996, Luanda, Angola - Angola 2 - 1 Zimbabwe
November 10, 1996, Lomé, Togo - Togo 2 - 4 Cameroon 
January 12, 1997, Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe 3 - 0 Togo
January 12, 1997, Yaoundé, Cameroon - Cameroon 0 - 0 Angola
April 6, 1997, Luanda, Angola - Angola 3 - 1 Togo
April 6, 1997, Yaoundé, Cameroon - Cameroon 1 - 0 Zimbabwe
April 27, 1997, Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe 0 - 0 Angola
April 27, 1997, Yaoundé, Cameroon - Cameroon 2 - 0 Togo
June 8, 1997, Luanda, Angola - Angola 1 - 1 Cameroon
June 8, 1997, Lomé, Togo - Togo 2 - 1 Zimbabwe
August 17, 1997, Lomé, Togo - Togo 1 - 1 Angola
August 17, 1997, Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe 1 - 2 Cameroon
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameroon
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | Angola
|
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | Zimbabwe
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Togo
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 4 |
Cameroon qualified.
Group 5
November 9, 1996, Rabat, Morocco - 
Morocco 4 - 0 Sierra Leone
November 10, 1996, Libreville, Gabon - Gabon 1 - 1 Ghana
January 11, 1997, Freetown, Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone 1 - 0 Gabon
January 12, 1997, Kumasi, Ghana - Ghana 2 - 2 Morocco
April 5, 1997, Freetown, Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone 1 - 1 Ghana
April 6, 1997, Libreville, Gabon - Gabon 0 - 4 Morocco
- This match was abandoned at 0-4, and the result was verified by FIFA.
April 26, 1997, Freetown, Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone 0 - 1 Morocco
April 27, 1997, Accra, Ghana - Ghana 3 - 0 Gabon
June 7, 1997, Casablanca, Morocco - Morocco 1 - 0 Ghana
August 17, 1997, Casablanca, Morocco - Morocco 2 - 0 Gabon
August 17, 1997, Obuasi, Ghana - Ghana 0 - 2 Sierra Leone
Gabon vs Sierra Leone was not played, since neither team could advance with a win.
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 16 |
| 2 | Sierra Leone
|
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 7 |
| 3 | Ghana
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Gabon
|
5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | -10 | 1 |
Morocco qualified.