The tournament will return to East Africa for the first time in 51 years and is scheduled to run from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Qualifying Format
The 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The top two sides from each group will normally advance. In the three groups containing the co-hosts (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania), only the highest-ranked non-host team will qualify alongside the automatic berths.
Matches are played on a home-and-away basis across six matchdays between September 2026 and March 2027.
Full Groups
- Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
- Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
- Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, The 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
- 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
Key Opening Matches
- Ivory Coast vs Ghana (Thursday, 24 September, 19:00 GMT)
- Nigeria vs Madagascar (Friday, 25 September, 16:00 GMT)
- Morocco vs Gabon, Egypt vs Angola, Algeria vs Zambia, Senegal vs Mozambique (Friday, 25 September, 19:00 GMT)
- South Africa vs Guinea (Saturday, 26 September, 16:00 GMT)
Star Players to Watch
- Egypt: Mohamed Salah
- Morocco: Brahim Díaz, Ayyoub Bouaddi (Achraf Hakimi is suspended for the first two matches)
- Nigeria: Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze (Victor Osimhen is injured)
- Ghana: Mohammed Kudus (returning from injury)
- Senegal: Ibrahim Mbaye, Iliman Ndiaye (Sadio Mané is unavailable for the opening fixture)
Recent AFCON Context
Senegal were initially crowned champions after beating Morocco in the 2025 final, but CAF later stripped them of the title and awarded it to Morocco following a controversial review of the match. Senegal have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with a hearing scheduled for 8 October.
The qualifiers mark the start of the road to an historic East African AFCON, with several heavyweight nations beginning their campaigns this week.