The qualification groups for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations were confirmed on Tuesday during the official draw held at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association.
A total of 48 nations have been drawn into 12 groups of four as teams across Africa begin their journey toward qualification for the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Reigning champions Morocco national football team were placed in Group A alongside the Gabon national football team, Niger national football team, and Lesotho national football team.
Morocco head into the qualifiers as title holders after the Confederation of African Football ruled that the Senegal national football team forfeited the previous final, despite Morocco suffering a 1-0 defeat in the match itself.
A number of groups are expected to produce intense competition, especially Group C, where the Côte d’Ivoire national football team will compete against the Ghana national football team, Gambia national football team, and Somalia national football team. In Group J, Senegal will face the Mozambique national football team, Sudan national football team, and Ethiopia national football team.
Despite already qualifying automatically as hosts, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will still take part in the qualification campaign. In groups featuring a host nation, only one additional team will qualify for the finals.
The South Africa national football team were drawn in Group D with the Guinea national football team, Kenya, and the Eritrea national football team, while the Nigeria national football team headline Group L alongside the Madagascar national football team, Tanzania, and the Guinea-Bissau national football team.
Due to the shortened calendar ahead of the tournament, the qualifiers will be played across three FIFA international windows.
The opening two matchdays are scheduled between September 21 and October 6, 2026, with matchdays three and four taking place from November 9 to 17, 2026. The final round of qualifiers will be played between March 22 and 30, 2027.
