The AFCON 2027 qualifying draw produced several high profile clashes ahead of the historic East Africa tournament…reports Africa News desk
The draw for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers produced several high profile matchups on Tuesday as 48 nations discovered their paths to the finals that will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The tournament, scheduled from June 19 to July 17, 2027, will mark the first time in 51 years that the Africa Cup of Nations is staged in East Africa.
The qualifying draw ceremony in Cairo was conducted by African football legends Max-Alain Gradel, William Troost-Ekong, Essam El Hadary and Trésor Mputu.
One of the standout ties will see Kenya coach Benni McCarthy face his home nation South Africa national football teamin Group D. McCarthy remains South Africa’s all time leading international scorer with 31 goals. Guinea national football team and Eritrea national football team complete the group.
Morocco national football team headline Group A alongside Gabon national football team, Niger national football teamand Lesotho national football team.
Group B will see Egypt national football team take on Angola national football team, Malawi national football team and South Sudan national football team.
There is a strong West African flavour to Group C, featuring reigning AFCON champions Ivory Coast national football team alongside Ghana national football team, Gambia national football team and Somalia national football team.
Elsewhere, DR Congo national football team, Equatorial Guinea national football team, Sierra Leone national football team and Zimbabwe national football team make up Group E.
Group F features Burkina Faso national football team, Benin national football team, Mauritania national football team and Central African Republic national football team in what is expected to be a tightly contested section.
Cameroon national football team will face Comoros national football team, Namibia national football team and Congo national football team in Group G.
Group H includes Tunisia national football team, co hosts Uganda national football team, Libya national football teamand Botswana national football team.
In Group I, Algeria national football team were drawn with Zambia national football team, Togo national football teamand Burundi national football team.
Senegal national football team headline Group J with Mozambique national football team, Sudan national football teamand Ethiopia national football team.
Group K includes Mali national football team, Cape Verde national football team, Rwanda national football team and Liberia national football team.
Meanwhile, Nigeria national football team were drawn alongside Madagascar national football team, co hosts Tanzania national football team and Guinea-Bissau national football team in Group L.
The qualifiers will be played on a home and away basis across six matchdays between September 2026 and March 2027.
Under the qualification rules, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the finals. However, as co hosts, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have already secured automatic qualification, meaning only the highest ranked non host nation from Groups D, H and L will advance automatically.AFCON 2027 Draw Sets Up Heavyweight Battles Across Africa
