The road to the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 gets underway, with 12 nations set to fight for just six tickets into the next phase of the qualifiers.
In this opening round, the continent’s lowest-ranked sides based on the latest FIFA rankings at the time of the draw will face off in two-legged ties, all aiming to break into the main qualification stage of the competition.
The 2027 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, marks a historic edition as three nations prepare to stage Africa’s biggest football event.
Across different parts of the continent, several intriguing fixtures are lined up. Teams like Eritrea and Eswatini will go head-to-head, while Lesotho take on Seychelles. Elsewhere, Djibouti square up against South Sudan, with Somalia facing Mauritius.
Other matchups will see Chad tackle Burundi, while São Tomé and Príncipe battle Ethiopia.
Some of the encounters will be played under unusual conditions. Both legs between Djibouti and South Sudan are scheduled to take place in Juba, while Lesotho and Seychelles will play their two matches in Bloemfontein.
At the conclusion of this round, the six winners will advance to the group stage qualifiers, where they will join 42 other teams. The next phase will feature 13 groups, with group winners qualifying automatically for the tournament, alongside the three best runners-up. The remaining runners-up will compete in playoffs for the final spots.
The group stage matches are slated for September, October, and November 2026, while the finals will hold from June 19 to July 18, 2027.
The preliminary round offers participating teams an early opportunity to stay in contention for a place at Africa’s biggest football tournament (AFCON).
