The opening round of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying gets underway this week, with South Africa’s clash against Guinea among the standout fixtures.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign begins on Thursday, with round one fixtures spread across three days between 24 and 26 September.
Forty-eight nations across 12 groups will be in action, including all three tournament co-hosts, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, who are already qualified but still play the group stage as competitive preparation.
All times below are South African Standard Time (SAST).
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Thursday, 24 September
Namibia vs Congo (15:00)
DR Congo vs Equatorial Guinea (18:00)
Mauritania vs Central African Republic (18:00)
Libya vs Botswana (18:00)
Côte d’Ivoire vs Ghana (21:00)
Sierra Leone vs Zimbabwe (21:00)
Cameroon vs Comoros (21:00)
Tunisia vs Uganda (21:00)
The standout fixture of the whole round closes out the day, as AFCON 2023 champions Côte d’Ivoire host four-time winners Ghana in a genuine West African heavyweight clash.
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Friday, 25 September
Tanzania vs Guinea-Bissau (15:00)
Niger vs Lesotho (17:00)
Malawi vs South Sudan (18:00)
Gambia vs Somalia (18:00)
Togo vs Burundi (18:00)
Sudan vs Ethiopia (18:00)
Rwanda vs Liberia (18:00)
Nigeria vs Madagascar (18:00)
Morocco vs Gabon (21:00)
Egypt vs Angola (21:00)
Burkina Faso vs Benin (21:00)
Algeria vs Zambia (21:00)
Senegal vs Mozambique (21:00)
Mali vs Cape Verde (21:00)
The busiest day of the round features record seven-time champions Egypt hosting Angola in Cairo, along with Morocco’s opener against Gabon and Algeria’s clash with Zambia.
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Saturday, 26 September
South Africa vs Guinea (15:00)
Kenya vs Eritrea (15:00)
Bafana Bafana’s qualifying campaign under new head coach Pitso Mosimane begins at home against Guinea, in a group where co-hosts Kenya’s automatic qualification means only one of South Africa, Guinea or Eritrea will progress to the finals.
Round two of qualifying follows between 28 September and 6 October, before the campaign resumes in November and concludes with the final matchdays in March 2027.
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