The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is officially set to begin, with 48 African nations drawn into 12 groups as they battle for places at the tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The group-stage qualifiers kick off on Thursday, September 24, 2026, with Matchdays 1 and 2 running until October 6. Since the opening fixtures are yet to be played, all 48 teams currently begin with zero points.
The qualifying campaign will consist of six matchdays. After the opening two rounds, the action will return between November 9 and 17, 2026, before the final two matchdays are played from March 22 to 30, 2027.
2027 AFCON Qualifying Groups
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo
Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau.
2027 AFCON Qualifiers Group Standings
With the group stage yet to begin, every team starts with 0 points, 0 goals scored and 0 goals conceded.
| Group A | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Niger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lesotho | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The same starting record applies to all teams across Groups B to L ahead of Matchday 1.
Matchday 1 Fixtures
Thursday, September 24
- Namibia vs Congo — Group G
- DR Congo vs Equatorial Guinea — Group E
- Mauritania vs Central African Republic — Group F
- Libya vs Botswana — Group H
- Côte d’Ivoire vs Ghana — Group C
- Sierra Leone vs Zimbabwe — Group E
- Cameroon vs Comoros — Group G
- Tunisia vs Uganda — Group H
Friday, September 25
- Tanzania vs Guinea-Bissau — Group L
- Niger vs Lesotho — Group A
- Malawi vs South Sudan — Group B
- The Gambia vs Somalia — Group C
- Togo vs Burundi — Group I
- Sudan vs Ethiopia — Group J
- Rwanda vs Liberia — Group K
- Nigeria vs Madagascar — Group L
- Morocco vs Gabon — Group A
- Egypt vs Angola — Group B
- Burkina Faso vs Benin — Group F
- Algeria vs Zambia — Group I
- Senegal vs Mozambique — Group J
- Mali vs Cape Verde — Group K
Saturday, September 26
- Kenya vs Eritrea — Group D
- South Africa vs Guinea — Group D.
Matchday 2 Fixtures
The second round begins on September 28, with the final fixtures scheduled for October 6.
September 28
- Equatorial Guinea vs Sierra Leone — Group E
- Zimbabwe vs DR Congo — Group E
- Central African Republic vs Burkina Faso — Group F
- Botswana vs Tunisia — Group H
September 29
- Gabon vs Niger — Group A
- Lesotho vs Morocco — Group A
- South Sudan vs Egypt — Group B
- Ghana vs The Gambia — Group C
- Somalia vs Côte d’Ivoire — Group C
- Benin vs Mauritania — Group F
- Comoros vs Namibia — Group G
- Congo vs Cameroon — Group G
- Uganda vs Libya — Group H
- Zambia vs Togo — Group I
- Burundi vs Algeria — Group I
- Mozambique vs Sudan — Group J
- Ethiopia vs Senegal — Group J
- Cape Verde vs Rwanda — Group K
- Liberia vs Mali — Group K
- Madagascar vs Tanzania — Group L
- Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria — Group L
September 30
- Eritrea vs South Africa — Group D
October 1
- Guinea vs Kenya — Group D
October 6
- Angola vs Malawi — Group B.
2027 AFCON Qualification Format
The qualifiers are being contested on a home-and-away basis across six matchdays, with 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four.
In groups without a co-host, the top two teams will qualify for the 2027 AFCON finals.
There is a slight difference in Groups D, H and L, which contain co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania respectively. Those three nations have already secured automatic qualification, meaning only the highest-ranked team outside the host will qualify from each of those groups.
For Nigeria, that makes Group L particularly significant, with the Super Eagles drawn alongside Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau. Tanzania already have their place at the finals secured as one of the co-hosts.
When Is AFCON 2027?
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda jointly hosting the tournament. It will be the first AFCON to be staged across three countries.
The remaining qualification schedule is:
- Matchdays 1 & 2: September 24 – October 6, 2026
- Matchdays 3 & 4: November 9 – 17, 2026
- Matchdays 5 & 6: March 22 – 30, 2027
By the end of the final window, the 24-team field for the tournament is expected to be complete.