| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 October 2003 - 8 October 2005 | 
| Teams | 51 (from 1 confederation) | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 190 | 
| Goals scored | 506 (2.66 per match) | 
| Attendance | 5,138,122 (27,043 per match) | 
| Top scorer(s) |  Emmanuel Adebayor (11 goals) | 
| Qualification for championships (CAF) | 
|---|
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for Africa. 51 teams took part (only Comoros and Djibouti did not enter), competing for 5 World Cup places.
Format
The qualification was composed of two Rounds. 9 teams entered the competition directly on the Second Round: the 5 teams that qualified for the 2002 World Cup Finals (Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia) and the 4 highest-ranking teams in the June 25, 2003 FIFA world rankings (Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, and Morocco). The other 42 teams were paired 2-by-2 and played knock-out matches home-and-away. The 21 winners would advance to the Second Round.
In the Second Round, the 30 teams were divided in 5 groups of 6 teams each. Teams in each group would play against each other in a home-and-away basis. The team with most points in each group would qualify to the World Cup.
The competition also constituted the qualification competition for the 2006 African Nations Cup with the top three nations of each group qualifying (except for Egypt, which qualifies as the host nation, the fourth nation in Egypt's group qualifying in Egypt's place).
The African qualifying zone saw 4 out of 5 finals places going to World Cup debutants (Angola, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana). Nigeria missed out on a fourth consecutive finals appearance while Cameroon did not reach their fifth consecutive finals.
The African zone also featured a group of death — Group 3, which brought together Africa's most frequent World Cup qualifier Cameroon with the two eventual finalists of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations: Egypt and the Ivory Coast.
First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinea-Bissau  | 1–4 |  Mali | 1–2 | 0–2 | 
| Madagascar  | 3–4 |  Benin | 1–1 | 2–3 | 
| Seychelles  | 1–5 |  Zambia | 0–4 | 1–1 | 
| Botswana  | 4–1 | .svg.png.webp) Lesotho | 4–1 | 0–0 | 
| Equatorial Guinea  | 1–2 |  Togo | 1–0 | 0–2 | 
| São Tomé and Príncipe  | 0–9 | .svg.png.webp) Libya | 0–1 | 0–8 | 
| Tanzania  | 0–3 |  Kenya | 0–0 | 0–3 | 
| Niger  | 0–7 |  Algeria | 0–1 | 0–6 | 
| Uganda  | 4–3 |  Mauritius | 3–0 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | 
| Sudan  | 3–0 |  Eritrea | 3–0 | 0–0 | 
| Zimbabwe  | 4–2 | .svg.png.webp) Mauritania | 3–0 | 1–2 | 
| Swaziland  | 1–4 |  Cape Verde | 1–1 | 0–3 | 
| Burundi  | 1–4 |  Gabon | 0–0 | 1–4 | 
| Chad  | 3–3(a) |  Angola | 3–1 | 0–2 | 
| Congo  | 2–1 |  Sierra Leone | 1–0 | 1–1 | 
| Ethiopia .svg.png.webp) | 1–3 |  Malawi | 1–3 | 0–0 | 
| Rwanda  | 4–1 |  Namibia | 3–0 | 1–1 | 
| Guinea  | 5–3 |  Mozambique | 1–0 | 4–3 | 
| Gambia  | 2–3 |  Liberia | 2–0 | 0–3 | 
| Somalia  | 0–7 |  Ghana | 0–5 | 0–2 | 
| Burkina Faso  | w/o |  Central African Republic | 
Second round
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Togo | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 23 | — | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 |  Senegal | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 8 | +13 | 21 | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 6–1 | |
| 3 |  Zambia | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 19 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | |
| 4 |  Congo | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 10 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–3 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 5 |  Mali | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 8 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 4–1 | |
| 6 |  Liberia | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 27 | −24 | 4 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
- Togo qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
- Togo, Senegal, and Zambia qualified for the 2006 African Cup of Nations.
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |  | .svg.png.webp) |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ghana | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 21 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | .svg.png.webp) DR Congo | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 16[lower-alpha 1] | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | |
| 3 |  South Africa | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 16[lower-alpha 1] | 0–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 4 |  Burkina Faso | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 13 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | |
| 5 |  Cape Verde | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 10 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | |
| 6 |  Uganda | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 8 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 
- Ghana qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
- Ghana, Congo DR, and South Africa qualified for the 2006 African Cup of Nations.
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |  |  |  | .svg.png.webp) |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ivory Coast | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 22 | — | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 |  Cameroon | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 21 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 3 |  Egypt | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 26 | 15 | +11 | 17 | 1–2 | 3–2 | — | 4–1 | 6–1 | 4–1 | |
| 4 | .svg.png.webp) Libya | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 12 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 4–1 | |
| 5 |  Sudan | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 22 | −16 | 6 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | |
| 6 |  Benin | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 23 | −14 | 5 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
- Côte d'Ivoire qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
- Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, and Libya qualified for the 2006 African Cup of Nations (Egypt qualified directly as hosts.)
Group 4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Angola | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 21[lower-alpha 1] | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | |
| 2 |  Nigeria | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 21[lower-alpha 1] | 1–1 | — | 5–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 3 |  Zimbabwe | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 15 | 2–0 | 0–3 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | |
| 4 |  Gabon | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 10 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| 5 |  Algeria | 10 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 8 | 0–0 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 0–3 | — | 1–0 | |
| 6 |  Rwanda | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 5 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | — | 
- Angola qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
- Angola, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe qualified for the 2006 African Cup of Nations.
Group 5
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tunisia | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 9 | +16 | 21 | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 7–0 | |
| 2 |  Morocco | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 20 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | |
| 3 |  Guinea | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 17 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | |
| 4 |  Kenya | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 10 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | |
| 5 |  Botswana | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 9 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | |
| 6 |  Malawi | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 26 | −14 | 6 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | — | 
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
- Tunisia qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
- Tunisia, Morocco, and Guinea qualified for the 2006 African Cup of Nations.
Qualified teams
The following five teams from CAF qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 | 
|---|---|---|---|
|  Togo | Second Round Group 1 winners | 8 October 2005 | 0 (debut) | 
|  Ghana | Second Round Group 2 winners | 8 October 2005 | 0 (debut) | 
|  Ivory Coast | Second Round Group 3 winners | 8 October 2005 | 0 (debut) | 
|  Angola | Second Round Group 4 winners | 8 October 2005 | 0 (debut) | 
|  Tunisia | Second Round Group 5 winners | 8 October 2005 | 3 (1978, 1998, 2002) | 
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Goalscorers
There were 506 goals scored in 190 matches, for an average of 2.66 goals per match.
- 11 goals
- 9 goals
- 8 goals
- 7 goals
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
 Nassim Akrour Nassim Akrour
 Abdelmalek Cherrad Abdelmalek Cherrad
 Francis Oumar Francis Oumar
 Mohamed Aboutrika Mohamed Aboutrika
 Abdel Halim Ali Abdel Halim Ali
 Ahmed Hassan Ahmed Hassan
 Théodore Nzue Nguema Théodore Nzue Nguema
 Matthew Amoah Matthew Amoah
 Michael Essien Michael Essien
 Pascal Feindouno Pascal Feindouno
 Isaac Tondo Isaac Tondo
.svg.png.webp) Nader Kara Nader Kara
.svg.png.webp) Ahmed Saad Osman Ahmed Saad Osman
 Noel Mkandawire Noel Mkandawire
 Marouane Chamakh Marouane Chamakh
 Talal El Karkouri Talal El Karkouri
 Jaouad Zairi Jaouad Zairi
 Dário Dário
 Abedi Saïd Abedi Saïd
 Sibusiso Zuma Sibusiso Zuma
 Mohamed Kader Mohamed Kader
 Mamam Cherif Touré Mamam Cherif Touré
 Haykel Guemamdia Haykel Guemamdia
 Harry Milanzi Harry Milanzi
 Benjani Mwaruwari Benjani Mwaruwari
- 2 goals
 Flávio Flávio
 Mouritala Ogunbiyi Mouritala Ogunbiyi
 Nelson Gabolwelwe Nelson Gabolwelwe
 Abdoulaye Cissé Abdoulaye Cissé
 Yahia Kébé Yahia Kébé
 Geremi Geremi
 Rigobert Song Rigobert Song
 Rudy Bhebey Rudy Bhebey
 Michel Bouanga Michel Bouanga
.svg.png.webp) Trésor Mputu Trésor Mputu
 Tarek El-Said Tarek El-Said
 Mido Mido
 Emad Moteab Emad Moteab
 Mohamed Shawky Mohamed Shawky
 Thierry Issiémou Thierry Issiémou
 Stéphane N'Guéma Stéphane N'Guéma
 Nana Arhin Duah Nana Arhin Duah
 Isaac Boakye Isaac Boakye
 Sulley Muntari Sulley Muntari
 Ousmane Bangoura Ousmane Bangoura
 Fodé Mansaré Fodé Mansaré
 John Barasa John Barasa
.svg.png.webp) Tarik El Taib Tarik El Taib
 Emmanuel Chipatala Emmanuel Chipatala
 Essau Kanyenda Essau Kanyenda
 Heston Munthali Heston Munthali
 Russel Mwafulirwa Russel Mwafulirwa
 Dramane Coulibaly Dramane Coulibaly
 Frédéric Kanouté Frédéric Kanouté
 Julius Aghahowa Julius Aghahowa
 Nwankwo Kanu Nwankwo Kanu
 Yakubu Yakubu
 John Lomami John Lomami
 Papa Bouba Diop Papa Bouba Diop
 Moussa N'Diaye Moussa N'Diaye
 Mbulelo Mabizela Mbulelo Mabizela
 Benni McCarthy Benni McCarthy
 Steven Pienaar Steven Pienaar
 Moustapha Salifou Moustapha Salifou
 Yao Junior Sènaya Yao Junior Sènaya
 Adel Chedli Adel Chedli
 Kaies Ghodhbane Kaies Ghodhbane
 Karim Haggui Karim Haggui
 Geoffrey Sserunkuma Geoffrey Sserunkuma
 Gift Kampamba Gift Kampamba
 Ignatius Lwipa Ignatius Lwipa
 Nchimunya Mweetwa Nchimunya Mweetwa
 Mumamba Numba Mumamba Numba
- 1 goal
 Isâad Bourahli Isâad Bourahli
 Sofiane Daoud Sofiane Daoud
 Hamza Yacef Hamza Yacef
 Antar Yahia Antar Yahia
 Bruno Mauro Bruno Mauro
 Paulo Figueiredo Paulo Figueiredo
 Freddy Freddy
 Mantorras Mantorras
 Rebelo Lopes Rebelo Lopes
 Zé Kalanga Zé Kalanga
 Anicet Adjamossi Anicet Adjamossi
 Coffi Agbessi Coffi Agbessi
 Jocelyn Ahouéya Jocelyn Ahouéya
 Rachad Chitou Rachad Chitou
 Bachirou Osseni Bachirou Osseni
 Stéphane Sessègnon Stéphane Sessègnon
 Séïdath Tchomogo Séïdath Tchomogo
 Mogogi Gabonamong Mogogi Gabonamong
 Tshepo Motlhabankwe Tshepo Motlhabankwe
 Abdoul-Aziz Nikiema Abdoul-Aziz Nikiema
 Saïdou Panandétiguiri Saïdou Panandétiguiri
 Florent Rouamba Florent Rouamba
 Amadou Touré Amadou Touré
 Mamadou Zongo Mamadou Zongo
 Gabriel Nzeyimana Gabriel Nzeyimana
 Roudolphe Douala Roudolphe Douala
 Guy Feutchine Guy Feutchine
 Bill Tchato Bill Tchato
 Janício Martins Janício Martins
 Jimmy Modeste Jimmy Modeste
 Gervais Batota Gervais Batota
 Bertrand Bouity Bertrand Bouity
 Rolf-Christel Guié-Mien Rolf-Christel Guié-Mien
 Mbiamcie Mvoubi Mbiamcie Mvoubi
.svg.png.webp) Dikilu Bageta Dikilu Bageta
.svg.png.webp) Mbala Mbuta Biscotte Mbala Mbuta Biscotte
.svg.png.webp) Ngasanya Ilongo Ngasanya Ilongo
.svg.png.webp) Djoko Kaluyituka Djoko Kaluyituka
.svg.png.webp) Cyrille Kitambala Cyrille Kitambala
.svg.png.webp) Zola Matumona Zola Matumona
.svg.png.webp) Marcel Kimemba Mbayo Marcel Kimemba Mbayo
.svg.png.webp) Kabamba Musasa Kabamba Musasa
 Kanga Akalé Kanga Akalé
 Bonaventure Kalou Bonaventure Kalou
 Bakari Koné Bakari Koné
 Gilles Yapi Yapo Gilles Yapi Yapo
 Ahmed Eid Abdel Malek Ahmed Eid Abdel Malek
 Mohamed Abdelwahab Mohamed Abdelwahab
 Hassan Mostafa Hassan Mostafa
 Sergio Barila Sergio Barila
.svg.png.webp) Teshome Getu Teshome Getu
 Georges Akieremy Georges Akieremy
 Catilina Aubameyang Catilina Aubameyang
 Etienne Bito'o Etienne Bito'o
 Etienne Alain Djissikadie Etienne Alain Djissikadie
 Dieudonné Londo Dieudonné Londo
 Shiva Nzigou Shiva Nzigou
 Abdou-Rahman Njie Abdou-Rahman Njie
 Edrissa Sonko Edrissa Sonko
 Lawrence Adjei Lawrence Adjei
 Godwin Attram Godwin Attram
 Joetex Asamoah Frimpong Joetex Asamoah Frimpong
 Souleymane Youla Souleymane Youla
 Dionisio Fernandes Dionisio Fernandes
 Edwin Mukenya Edwin Mukenya
 Mike Okoth Origi Mike Okoth Origi
 Musa Otieno Musa Otieno
.svg.png.webp) Moses Ramafole Moses Ramafole
 Alvin Kieh Alvin Kieh
 Zizi Roberts Zizi Roberts
 Arcadia Toe Arcadia Toe
.svg.png.webp) Marei Al Ramly Marei Al Ramly
.svg.png.webp) Younes Al Shibani Younes Al Shibani
.svg.png.webp) Mohamed El Rabty Mohamed El Rabty
.svg.png.webp) Othman Ferjani Othman Ferjani
.svg.png.webp) Marei Suliman Marei Suliman
 Robert Edmond Robert Edmond
 J. Radonamahafalison J. Radonamahafalison
 A. Rakotondramanana A. Rakotondramanana
 Patrick Mabedi Patrick Mabedi
 Peter Mgangira Peter Mgangira
 Albert Mpinganjira Albert Mpinganjira
 Jimmy Zakazaka Jimmy Zakazaka
 Abdoulaye Demba Abdoulaye Demba
 Mamadou Diallo Mamadou Diallo
 Souleymane Diamoutene Souleymane Diamoutene
 Mahamadou Diarra Mahamadou Diarra
 Seydou Keita Seydou Keita
 Djibril Sidibé Djibril Sidibé
 Mohamed Sissoko Mohamed Sissoko
.svg.png.webp) Yohan Langlet Yohan Langlet
.svg.png.webp) Ahmed Sidibe Ahmed Sidibe
 Jerry Louis Jerry Louis
 Cyril Mourgine Cyril Mourgine
 Richardo Nabuth Richardo Nabuth
 Mounir Diane Mounir Diane
 Houssine Kharja Houssine Kharja
 Youssef Mokhtari Youssef Mokhtari
 Youssef Safri Youssef Safri
 Paulus Shipanga Paulus Shipanga
 Joseph Enakarhire Joseph Enakarhire
 Christian Obodo Christian Obodo
 Peter Odemwingie Peter Odemwingie
 Jay-Jay Okocha Jay-Jay Okocha
 John Utaka John Utaka
 Joseph Yobo Joseph Yobo
 Ayila Yussuf Ayila Yussuf
 Joao Rafael Elias Joao Rafael Elias
 Jimmy Gatete Jimmy Gatete
 Olivier Karekezi Olivier Karekezi
 Jimmy Mulisa Jimmy Mulisa
 Papa Dia Papa Dia
 Abdoulaye Faye Abdoulaye Faye
 Lamine Diatta Lamine Diatta
 Khalilou Fadiga Khalilou Fadiga
 Babacar Gueye Babacar Gueye
 Mamadou Niang Mamadou Niang
 Robert Suzette Robert Suzette
 Ibrahim Koroma Ibrahim Koroma
 Shaun Bartlett Shaun Bartlett
 Delron Buckley Delron Buckley
 Quinton Fortune Quinton Fortune
 Amar Ramadan Amar Ramadan
 Faisal Agab Faisal Agab
 Mujahid Ahmed Mujahid Ahmed
 Haitham Elrasheed Haitham Elrasheed
 Joseph-Désiré Job Joseph-Désiré Job
 Siz Dlamini Siz Dlamini
 Adékambi Olufadé Adékambi Olufadé
 Najeh Braham Najeh Braham
 Wisam El Abdy Wisam El Abdy
 Ziad Jaziri Ziad Jaziri
 Issam Jemâa Issam Jemâa
 Mehdi Nafti Mehdi Nafti
 Ali Zitouni Ali Zitouni
 Assani Bajope Assani Bajope
 Simon Masaba Simon Masaba
 Hassan Mubiru Hassan Mubiru
 Ibrahim Sekagya Ibrahim Sekagya
 Kalusha Bwalya Kalusha Bwalya
 Linos Chalwe Linos Chalwe
 Dadley Fichite Dadley Fichite
 Jacob Mulenga Jacob Mulenga
 Elijah Tana Elijah Tana
 George Mbwando George Mbwando
 Adam Ndlovu Adam Ndlovu
 Tinashe Nengomasha Tinashe Nengomasha
 Ashley Rambanapasi Ashley Rambanapasi
 Kaitano Tembo Kaitano Tembo
- 1 own goal
 Slimane Raho (playing against Zimbabwe) Slimane Raho (playing against Zimbabwe)
 Rajabu Mwinyi (playing against Gabon) Rajabu Mwinyi (playing against Gabon)
 Nélson Veiga (playing against Ghana) Nélson Veiga (playing against Ghana)
 René Nsi-Akoue (playing against Angola) René Nsi-Akoue (playing against Angola)
 Zvenyika Makonese (playing against Rwanda) Zvenyika Makonese (playing against Rwanda)
