Sebanyak 20 tim peserta pemenang dari kualifikasi babak kedua akan dibagi kedalam lima grup dimana setiap grup berisikan empat tim. Pemenang dari masing-masing grup akan terkualifikasi ke putaran final Piala Dunia 2018.
Penempatan tim
Undian babak ketiga dilangsungkan pada 24 Juni 2016, pukul 22.00 WIB, di kantor pusat CAF, Kairo, Mesir.[1]
^FIFA memberikan Aljazair kemenangan 3–0 setelah Nigeria menurunkan pemain tidak sah Shehu Abdullahi, setelah pertandingan berakhir imbang 1–1. Abdullahi tidak menjalani hukuman satu pertandingan setelah menerima dua kartu kuning.[2]
^ abcLibya played their home matches outside Libya due to security concerns from the civil war.
^FIFA awarded Algeria a 3–0 win as a result of Nigeria fielding the ineligible player Shehu Abdullahi, after the match had ended in a 1–1 draw. Abdullahi failed to serve a one-game ban after receiving two yellow cards in the qualifying competition.[2]
^On 6 September 2017, the Bureau for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers annulled the result of the South Africa v Senegal match on 12 November 2016 and ordered that it be replayed within the November 2017 international window. This decision was confirmed by the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions on 14 September 2017.[4] Originally South Africa had defeated Senegal 2–1. Match referee Joseph Lamptey was banned for life by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on 20 March 2017 for "unlawfully influencing" the match after issuing a penalty for handball against Senegal.[5] The decision was upheld by the FIFA Appeal Committee, and later the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 6 September 2017.[3]
