2018 FIFA World Cup draw

Lesotho scheduled to face Ghana,
if Likuena beat Comoros Islands

The road to Russia 2018 for African countries is now known. On Saturday, FIFA held its 2018 World Cup draw in St Petersburg and the race to reach the showpiece will kick-off in earnest in October.

The qualifying stages have been divided into three phases with the lowest ranked countries on the continent to begin the preliminary stage of qualifying from October 5 to 13. The winners will then join the 27 highest ranked teams in Africa in a home and away knockout phase.

The third and final phase is a round robin stage.

The winners of the knockout ties will be paired into five groups consisting of four countries each and will face each other in a home and away ties from October 3, 2016 to November 14, 2017. The five group winners will automatically qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Now ranked 131 in the world, Lesotho will start its campaign in the preliminary phase. Likuena will face the Comoros Islands. If Lesotho progresses, the daunting task of Ghana awaits.

In other draw highlights, 2010 World Cup host South Africa was handed a tough draw with a second round clash against Angola. Elsewhere, African champions Ivory Coast will face the winner between Liberia and Guinea Bissau while Nigeria will meet either Djibouti or Swaziland for the right to contest the final phase of qualifying.

Full second round 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw for Africa:

Cameroon v Somalia/ Niger

Tunisia v Sudan/Mauritania

Guinea v Gambia/Namibia

Congo v São Tomé and Príncipe/ Ethiopia

Egypt v Chad/ Sierra Leone

Ghana v Comoro/Lesotho

Nigeria v Djibouti/Swaziland

Mali v Eritrea/Botswana

DR Congo v Seychelles/Burundi

Cote d'Ivoire v Guinea-Bissau/Liberia

Senegal v CAR/Madagascar

Cape Verde v Mauritius / Kenya

Algeria v Tanzania / Malawi

Sudan v Zambia

Libya v Rwanda

Morocco v Equatorial Guinea

Mozambique v Gabon

Benin v Burkina Faso

Togo v Uganda

Angola v South Africa