Are there away goals in Africa World Cup qualifiers 2022? What happens if teams are tied on aggregate

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Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will face off in the AFCON 2022 final
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The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is set to break new ground in football history as the first edition of the competition held in November-December and the first to be hosted in the Middle East.

Roughly half of the qualification places have been sewn up, with 20 of 32 nations, including the hosts, having secured a spot in the draw for the group stage.

The playoff second legs on March 29 will determine which teams from Africa will join them, as the CAF qualifying section wraps up the third and final round of its qualifying process. The first legs were all tight affairs, which means the aggregate-goal tiebreaker could come into play (see below).

The 10 nations left standing were drawn together in five different playoff series with the team that scores the most goals across two legs booking a ticket to the 2022 World Cup. The first team listed below hosts the first leg of each matchup and will be on the road for the second leg.

Match 1st Leg
 
2nd Leg
Time (ET)
TV/Stream
(USA)
Egypt vs. Senegal 1-0 Tues, Mar. 29
1 p.m.
ESPN+
Cameroon vs. Algeria 0-1 Tues, Mar. 29
3:30 p.m.
ESPN+
Ghana vs. Nigeria 0-0 Tues, Mar. 29
1 p.m.
ESPN+
DR Congo vs. Morocco 1-1 Tues, Mar. 29
3:30 p.m.
ESPN+
Mali vs. Tunisia 0-1 Tues, Mar. 29
3:30 p.m.
ESPN+

MORE: When is the Ballon d'Or 2022?

Are there away goals in Africa World Cup qualifying?

Despite the away goals tiebreaker being abolished by European body UEFA for its club competitions in 2021-22, the rule is still in effect for FIFA World Cup qualifying, including any two-leg playoffs held around the world.

FIFA's official World Cup qualifying rulebook (Article 20.10, page 29) accounts for the scenario when two-leg series are tied on aggregate goals at the end of the second match. And it reiterates the use of away goals as the first tiebreaker.

If both teams score the same number of goals over the two matches, the goals scored away shall be counted as double.

If both teams have also scored the same number of away goals, that's when extra time (two periods of 15 minutes) and, if necessary, a penalty-kick shootout, comes into play.

Holding true to the away goals rule, any goals scored by the away team in extra time will give it the added edge. Here's how the rulebook puts it:

The extra time is an integral part of the second-leg match ... If both teams score the same number of goals in extra time, the visiting team is declared the winner on the basis of away goals counting double.

MORE: Which countries are in the 2022 World Cup Draw?

Has African qualifying had away goals in the past?

Away goals were used in the playoffs ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. However, they were not needed in four of the five matches as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon all qualified by a clear aggregate-goal win.

But Algeria secured their 2014 spot in the competition on away goals, after drawing 3-3 on aggregate with Burkina Faso, with their two first-leg goals in Ouagadougou carrying them through.

The structure of Africa World Cup qualifying for the 2018 tournament was altered so the third and final round comprised a group stage. Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal and Egypt sealed their places in Russia after finishing top of their respective groups.

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Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News.