The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is officially underway, with national teams across the continent beginning their campaigns to secure a place at the finals in East Africa.
The qualifiers have produced 12 groups of four teams, setting up a six-match campaign for most nations as they battle for one of Africa’s most coveted international football prizes.
The 2027 AFCON will be staged across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the three East African nations automatically qualified as co-hosts.
A Historic AFCON for East Africa
The 2027 tournament will be a landmark occasion for African football, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda jointly hosting the continent’s premier national team competition.
The tournament will bring AFCON to East Africa in a major celebration of football, culture and regional unity.
Although the three hosts have already secured their places at the finals, they will still participate in the qualifying campaign. Their presence creates a different qualification scenario in the groups containing the host nations.
How Qualification Works in the Host Groups
In the groups containing Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the host nation is already guaranteed a place at the final tournament.
As a result, only one additional team from each of those groups will qualify for AFCON 2027.
That means the highest-ranked team among the remaining three nations in Groups D, H and L will claim the available qualification place.
In the other nine groups, the top two teams will qualify for the finals.
Complete List of the 2027 AFCON Qualifying Groups
A total of 48 nations have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each.
Group A
- Morocco
- Gabon
- Niger
- Lesotho
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group B
- Egypt
- Angola
- Malawi
- South Sudan
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group C
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Ghana
- Gambia
- Somalia
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group D
- South Africa
- Guinea
- Kenya
- Eritrea
Qualification: Kenya is automatically qualified as a host. The highest-ranked team among the other three nations takes the remaining qualification place.
Group E
- DR Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Sierra Leone
- Zimbabwe
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group F
- Burkina Faso
- Benin
- Mauritania
- Central African Republic
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group G
- Cameroon
- Comoros
- Namibia
- Republic of the Congo
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group H
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Libya
- Botswana
Qualification: Uganda is automatically qualified as a host. The highest-ranked team among the other three nations takes the remaining qualification place.
Group I
- Algeria
- Zambia
- Togo
- Burundi
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group J
- Senegal
- Mozambique
- Sudan
- Ethiopia
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group K
- Mali
- Cape Verde
- Rwanda
- Liberia
Qualification: Top two teams advance.
Group L
- Nigeria
- Madagascar
- Tanzania
- Guinea-Bissau
Qualification: Tanzania is automatically qualified as a host. The highest-ranked team among the other three nations takes the remaining qualification place.
How the Qualifying Format Works
The 2027 AFCON qualifiers follow a double round-robin format, with each team playing the other nations in its group twice.
Each country will therefore play six matches, consisting of three home fixtures and three away fixtures.
Points accumulated across the six matchdays will determine the final standings in each group.
For the standard groups, finishing among the top two is enough to secure qualification.
In Groups D, H and L, however, the automatically qualified host nation does not occupy the available qualifying position. The best-performing non-host nation will therefore claim the remaining place.
Qualifying Schedule
The qualifying campaign is spread across three international windows.
Matchdays 1 and 2 are scheduled for September 2026, with the opening fixtures providing the first opportunity for teams to establish themselves in their respective groups.
The campaign then moves into November 2026 for Matchdays 3 and 4.
The final two rounds, Matchdays 5 and 6, will take place in March 2027, when the remaining qualification places will be decided.
The Battle for East Africa Begins
With established African football nations such as Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire among the teams competing, the qualifying campaign promises plenty of significant encounters.
At the same time, several emerging nations will be looking to upset the established order and secure their place at the continental showpiece.
For the teams involved, there will be little room for dropped points as the campaign progresses. Every result could have a major impact on the final group standings and the race for qualification.
As the road to 2027 continues, Our Soccer Updates will bring you the latest results, standings, fixtures and developments from across the AFCON qualifying campaign.
The road to East Africa has begun.
