The journey to AFCON PAMOJA 2027 officially gathered momentum after Confederation of African Football unveiled the qualification draw, setting up several high-stakes battles as 48 nations begin their quest for a place at Africa’s biggest football spectacle.
The draw, conducted today in Cairo, Egypt confirmed the paths for co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, who are preparing to jointly stage the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in East African history.
Although the three East African nations are already guaranteed automatic qualification as tournament hosts, CAF confirmed they will still participate in the qualifiers. However, groups containing Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania will produce only one additional team for the finals, unlike the remaining pools where the top two sides will qualify.
Kenya were placed in a challenging Group D alongside former continental champions South Africa, Guinea and preliminary round surprise package Eritrea. With the Harambee Stars already assured of a place at the finals, the battle for the single qualification slot in the group is expected to intensify among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea.
Uganda landed in Group H where they will face North African heavyweights Tunisia, alongside Libya and Botswana. Tanzania, meanwhile, were drawn into Group L alongside three-time African champions Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
Elsewhere, some of the continent’s football heavyweights were handed intriguing fixtures. Defending champions Côte d’Ivoire headline Group C alongside fierce rivals Ghana, The Gambia and an inspired Somalia side fresh from their historic preliminary round success.
Somalia’s inclusion in the group stage remains one of the standout stories of the qualifiers after they edged Mauritius 4–2 on penalties following two goalless legs in the preliminary round. Their reward is a daunting but historic showdown against former continental champions Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Record champions Egypt were drawn in Group B with Angola, Malawi and South Sudan, while Morocco headline Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.
Other heavyweight clashes include Cameroon against Comoros in Group G, Algeria facing Zambia in Group I, and Senegal taking on Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J.
The qualification campaign will be played across three FIFA international windows; The opening two matchdays are scheduled for the FIFA window from 21 September to 6 October 2026, before Matchdays 3 and 4 take place from 9 to 17 November 2026.
The final two rounds of matches will be played from 22 to 30 March 2027, when the line-up for the tournament is expected to be completed.
Full Draw
