According to Pan African Football, CAF has been flexible in approving stadiums for these early rounds.
Zimbabwe’s National Sports Stadium is approved to host Category Two matches, including U17 to U23 African Cup of Nations qualifiers and CAF Champions League preliminary games.
Although Zimbabwe’s biggest stadium has been banned from hosting international matches since 2020, it is currently being renovated to meet CAF standards and host senior national team matches again.
CAF said the list may be updated in the coming weeks as new developments arise.
Currently, stadiums in countries such as the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Eritrea, Guinea, Lesotho, Namibia, São Tomé, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, and Somalia are not on the approved list.
Stade Intwari (Burundi), Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno (Chad), and Somhlolo National Stadium (Eswatini) have temporary approval from CAF.
The approval covers 45 African countries, allowing them to host matches for the CAF Champions League, Confederation Cup, and U17, U20, and U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
South Africa leads with 13 approved stadiums, followed by Morocco with 10, and Algeria with nine. Most countries have at least one approved venue.
This list only applies to club and youth competitions. Only a few nations have approval to host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers in September.
Many countries are still banned from hosting games due to a lack of CAF-approved stadiums.