National football teams in Africa have started a new journey, heading towards the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with the group qualifying stage set to begin on September 24 this year (2026). The campaign will bring together 48 teams that are competing across 12 groups, with the matches determining which nations will join the hosts at next year’s tournament.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, all of which are Commonwealth countries, will jointly stage the 2027 competition from June 19 to July 17 next year (2027). The tournament will mark the return of the Africa Cup of Nations to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the competition back in 1976.
The qualifying format consists of six matchdays, with the opening two taking place between September 24 and October 6. In most groups, the top two teams will secure places at the finals. However, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are already guaranteed places as co-hosts, meaning only one additional team will have to qualify from each of their respective groups.
A few more notable matches are also scheduled for the opening round. Côte d’Ivoire will meet Ghana, another Commonwealth country, in one of the most anticipated fixtures, while Morocco will host Gabon. Egypt will face Angola in Cairo, Algeria will take on Zambia and Senegal will begin their campaign against Mozambique. South Africa will also open against Guinea on September 26. Overall, there are 18 Commonwealth countries taking part in this event, with some being Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, and The Gambia.
The qualifying campaign comes while uncertainty continues to hover over the outcome of the previous AFCON final. Senegal’s appeal against the decision to award the 2025 title to Morocco is scheduled to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 8.
With the first matches approaching, teams now begin a campaign in which every result could influence their route to East Africa. Later in 2026, the remaining qualifying rounds will continue, culminating in the final stages in March 2027.
Elsewhere, Nigeria has been drawn into Group L alongside Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau. Tanzania’s position as a co-host means that the group has a different qualification calculation, with Tanzania already assured of a place at the finals. Only the highest-ranked team apart from Tanzania will qualify from the group. The same arrangement applies to Kenya in Group D and Uganda in Group H.
The meaning of the structure is that the opening fixtures could be especially important for teams competing in those three groups. For instance, South Africa and Guinea face one another in Group D, while Nigeria begins against Madagascar. These early matches will provide teams with their first opportunity to establish a position in their respective groups before the competition resumes in November.
The tournament itself will also carry a critical historical significance for the host region. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will become the first three countries to jointly stage an AFCON finals tournament. The event is scheduled to feature 24 teams. It will also return the continent’s premier men’s national team competition to East Africa more than five decades after Ethiopia hosted the tournament in 1976.
For the participating nations, the qualification process represents more than just a series of international fixtures. Each team has six group matches to secure its route to the finals, with the final two matchdays scheduled for March 2027. By then, the 24-team field for the East African tournament will be complete.
