Burundi is to be replaced by Sierra Leone in African Group 5 of the preliminary competition for the 1998 World Cup.The Football Association of Burundi informed FIFA on 30 October that it was unable to fulfil the conditions required for the matches of the qualifying competition. Sierra Leone, whom Burundi had eliminated in the first round, thus take Burundi's place in the group which also contains Gabon, Ghana and Morocco.

Thus the match in Rabat on 9 November (15.00 hours) will now be between Morocco and Sierra Leone:

CAF (Africa), Group 5 Rabat, MOR/15:00/Morocco - Sierra Leone/OLANIYAN, NGA