The draw for AFCON 2027 qualifiers has shaped a highly competitive road to the final tournament, with several major nations receiving contrasting fortunes. Morocco, Algeria, and Senegal benefit from relatively balanced groups on paper, while Ivory Coast faces a far more demanding challenge in a stacked Group C. The Elephants will have to battle against strong opposition right from the start, making qualification far from guaranteed despite their status among the continent’s elite.
CAF held the draw in Cairo on May 19, officially launching a qualifying campaign that will involve nearly 48 teams divided into twelve groups of four. The competition format rewards only group winners and the three best runners-up, which raises the pressure on every match.
Host nations Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania already secure their places in the final tournament, but they also influence the dynamics of the qualifiers as several groups include teams eager to test themselves against the co-hosts and established African powers.
This edition of the AFCON qualifiers also carries historic weight, as it leads into a tournament co-hosted for the first time by three countries and marks a transitional moment for African football. With tight groups, direct qualification rules, and several balanced pools, every point will matter in a long and intense campaign where surprises remain highly possible.
The twelve groups revealed
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, 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
