The Zurich-based Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has awarded the media rights to the FIFA World Cup 2022 African qualifier games to International Management Group (IMG).
The deal excludes the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, but includes a total of 130 matches featuring 40 countries from across the African continent.
The matches include 120 Round 2 matches and 10 home and away play-off games that will see five African teams qualify for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Forty nations from across the continent have been drawn in 10 groups of four for Round 2 of World Cup 2022 qualification in Africa. The top country from each group will then play a two-leg play-off match in March 2022 with the winners qualifying for the tournament.
Michael Mellor, senior VP and head of football at IMG, said: “This is an extremely exciting package of matches with the growing success of African nations and at major tournaments making the World Cup qualifiers a very attractive proposition for broadcasters around the globe. A number of top African players ply their trade in the top leagues and will be household names to viewers around the world.”
The World Cup will take place from November 21 to December 18 next year.
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