Race For AFCON 2027 Begins As CAF Holds Qualifiers Draw Tuesday

Race For AFCON 2027 Begins As CAF Holds Qualifiers Draw Tuesday
The tournament will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Forty-eight countries will compete for qualification spots across Africa.

The Confederation of African Football will on Tuesday conduct the qualifying draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, officially beginning the race to the continental tournament to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

CAF confirmed the development in a statement issued on Sunday, revealing that the draw ceremony will take place at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to CAF, the draw will determine the qualification routes for the 48 participating nations ahead of the tournament.

“On Tuesday afternoon in Cairo, 48 nations will learn their route to the finals of a tournament already carrying enormous significance long before a ball is kicked,” CAF stated.

“The draw, which takes place at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association, officially launches the next phase of the journey towards a tournament CAF hopes will unite an entire region under the spirit of ‘PAMOJA’, the Swahili word for ‘together’.”

The competition, officially tagged AFCON PAMOJA 2027, is scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

The edition will make history as the first Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by three countries and will also mark the tournament’s return to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976.

CAF explained that the 48 countries involved in the qualifiers would be divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from every group securing qualification for the finals.

However, because the three host nations have already secured automatic qualification, only one additional team will qualify from each of their respective groups.

The governing body added that the qualification matches will be played during three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.

“Matchdays one and two are scheduled for 21 September to 6 October 2026, while the third and fourth rounds of fixtures will take place from 9 to 17 November 2026. The final qualification matches are set for 22 to 30 March 2027,” CAF added.

African football heavyweights such as Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa are expected to be among the favourites to qualify.

CAF also noted the growing competitiveness in African football, citing the rise of smaller nations such as Comoros and Gambia in recent years.

Race For AFCON 2027 Begins As CAF Holds Qualifiers Draw Tuesday

For the co-hosts, CAF said the tournament represents a major opportunity to boost infrastructure, tourism and economic development while showcasing East Africa’s football culture to the continent and the world.