A total of 29 CAF teams entered the competition. However, Central African Republic was excluded by FIFA for not paying the entry fee. The African Zone was allocated 2 places (out of 24) in the final tournament. Finally 26 nations played at least one of the 46 games.
Format
There would be four rounds of play:
First Round: 4 teams, Sudan, Liberia, Togo, and Zimbabwe, received byes and advanced to the Second Round directly. The remaining 24 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the Second Round. Ghana and Uganda withdrew before playing.
Second Round and Third Round: In each of these rounds, the teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the next round. Libya withdrew before playing the Second round.
Final Round: The 4 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would qualify.