Qatar 2022 WCQ Play-Off: CAF Shift Draw Date, Super Eagles in Danger of facing Tough Opponents

By Emmanuel Oladele - The Confederation of Africa Football, CAF, has shifted the draw date for the Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifier play-off from December to January. The draw which was originally scheduled to hold on December 18th, 2021 will now hold on January 26th, 2022 in Cameroon.

The draw will be held during the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations which hold between January 9 to February 6, 2022 in Cameroon.

The rule for the draw has also taken another dimension, the FIFA Ranking for January will determine the top five seeded teams.

With the latest development on using the January FIFA Ranking to determine the top five seeded teams, the Super Eagles of Nigeria may have to face tougher side, any of; Algeria, Senegal, Morocco or Tunisia if it fails to be among the top five FIFA ranked Nations for Africa in January. The current FIFA Ranking has Nigeria in 5th position in Africa, a drift backward will put the Super Eagles of Nigeria in danger to face a tougher side in the play-off. The top ranked five Nations will be drawn against the other five ranked Nations in a home-and-away tie, the winner of each fixture will qualify for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Five Nations will represent Africa in the tournament.