2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round
Football tournament qualification stage
This page provides the summaries of the CAF third round matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. The 20 qualifiers (the 12 group winners and the best 8 runners-up from the second round) were split into five groups of four, in the draw held on 22 October 2008 in Zürich. Teams in each group will play a home-and-away round-robin in 2009, with the 5 groups winners advancing to the World Cup Finals in South Africa (together with hosts South Africa).[note 1]
This round also doubles as the qualification stage for the 2010 African Cup of Nations, with the top three teams in each group qualifying for the finals (together with hosts Angola).[note 2]
Seeding
Teams were seeded based on their FIFA World Rankings in October 2008 (number in parentheses).[2] One team from each of the following pots was drawn into each group.[3]
^South Africa also entered World Cup qualifying in order to qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. Had they made it to this round, their matches would not have been counted in determining who would advance to the World Cup finals in their group.[1]
^Had Angola made it to this round, all the other three teams in their group would have advanced to the African Cup of Nations finals.[1]
^FIFA awarded Gabon a 3–0 win as a result of Togo fielding the ineligible player Abdoul-Gafar Mamah who played for Togo despite being suspended even though the original score ended as the same scoreline to Gabon.[5]
^ abThe Gabon v Cameroon match was originally scheduled for 2009-06-20, but postponed at the request of Gabon for mourning the death of President Omar Bongo. The reverse match was also rescheduled.[6]