The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations has been charted, following the Confederation of African Football (CAF) draw in Cairo that confirmed the qualifying groups for the continent’s flagship tournament. Conducted on Tuesday at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters, the draw placed 48 nations into 12 groups of four, each vying for a place at the finals.
The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, marking a landmark collaboration in East African football. Defending champions Morocco were drawn in Group A alongside Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho. The North Africans enter the qualifiers as holders after CAF awarded them the 2023 title, following Senegal’s forfeiture of the previous final.
Several groups promise intense competition. Group C features a heavyweight clash between Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Gambia, and Somalia, while Group J pits Senegal against Mozambique, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Although Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda qualify automatically as hosts, they will still participate in the qualifiers, with only one additional team from their groups advancing to the finals.
Other Notable Groups
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau
The AFCON 2027 qualifiers will be played across three FIFA international windows, accommodating the shortened tournament calendar leading up to the finals.
Source: Richard Obeng Bediako