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The draw is done. Forty-eight nations now know the road they must travel to reach AFCON 2027 in East Africa. The ceremony was held yesterday in Cairo at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters, and the twelve groups it produced contain some of the most compelling qualifying matchups the competition has seen in years. Here is every group, and what each of the major nations faces.
The Full Draw
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 Brazzaville. 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.
The Group That Everyone Is Talking About
Group C is the draw's defining result. Ivory Coast and Ghana in the same qualifying group. Two of the continent's most storied football nations, neighbours, rivals, and both absent from AFCON 2025, now forced to fight for the same two qualifying spots alongside Gambia and Somalia. Only the top two advance. In any realistic reading of the group, the final two places belong to Ivory Coast and Ghana, which means one of them goes through as group winner and the other as runner-up. It also means they must face each other twice in qualifying for a tournament that will take place in their own broader region. The home and away fixtures between these two, expected to fall in October 2026 and March 2027, will be among the most watched qualifying matches on the continent.
This draw is particularly loaded for Ghana. Carlos Queiroz was appointed head coach six weeks before the 2026 World Cup with barely enough time to introduce himself to the squad. His real work begins in AFCON qualifying. Group C gives him a clear measure of where Ghana stand: if they cannot finish above Ivory Coast across six qualifying matches, the rebuild is further from completion than the World Cup participation suggests.
Morocco: The Comfortable Draw
As confirmed by Africa Top Sports, Morocco were handed one of the more manageable groups. Group A alongside Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho offers the Atlas Lions a straightforward path to qualification. As official AFCON 2025 champions under CAF's administrative ruling, Morocco enter the campaign with the dual pressure of defending status and managing the ongoing CAS appeal from Senegal, which remains unresolved. Winning Group A comfortably is the expectation. The larger question for Morocco is what the draw says about their preparation ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which starts in June and runs concurrent with AFCON qualifying fixtures from September onwards.
Nigeria's Manageable Path
Nigeria were drawn into Group L alongside Madagascar, Tanzania, and Guinea-Bissau, as confirmed by Nigeria Info FM and Notjustok. Tanzania are one of the AFCON 2027 host nations, meaning they have already qualified for the tournament automatically. In any group containing a host nation, three teams advance rather than two. That gives Nigeria and one other side an additional qualification spot. The Super Eagles, who have not won AFCON since 2013, face a qualifying path that, on paper, should see them through with room to spare. The real pressure will come at the tournament itself.
Senegal's Group and the Backdrop
Senegal were drawn into Group J alongside Mozambique, Sudan, and Ethiopia. A favourable group on paper, though the squad enter it with the AFCON 2025 dispute still unresolved and the psychological weight of a contested title affecting preparation in ways that are difficult to quantify. Pape Gueye said last month that the squad still considers itself African champions. The CAS verdict, whenever it comes, will settle the administrative record. The qualifying campaign that starts in September begins to build the next chapter regardless.
South Africa and the Kenya Test
Group D places Bafana Bafana alongside Guinea, Kenya, and Eritrea, as reported by SA People. The fixture against Kenya carries a specific dimension: Kenya are one of the AFCON 2027 hosts, and Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who led South Africa to the 2025 AFCON semi-final before his squad's World Cup preparation took over, will face former South Africa assistant Benni McCarthy in the opposing dugout. McCarthy was appointed Kenya coach earlier this year. The South Africa-Kenya match, in Nairobi or Johannesburg, will be one of the qualifying campaign's more emotionally charged fixtures when it arrives.
When It All Kicks Off
Matchdays one and two run from September 21 to October 6, 2026. Matchdays three and four follow from November 9 to 17, 2026. The final two matchdays take place from March 22 to 30, 2027. The AFCON 2027 tournament itself runs from June 19 to July 17, 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The road started yesterday in Cairo. The football begins in four months.
