2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying begins as Senegal appeal remains unresolved

The race for a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations starts on Thursday, while the outcome of the previous final in Morocco remains under dispute.

Forty-eight countries have been drawn into 12 groups for a six-round qualifying campaign, which runs until March next year. The top two teams in nine of the groups will qualify for the finals.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the 24-team tournament, scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, but all three nations are also involved in the qualifying competition. In groups featuring one of the co-hosts, only one other team will progress.

South Africa are in one of those sections, Group D, alongside Kenya, who are coached by Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy. Pitso Mosimane’s side face Eritrea in neutral Cairo on Wednesday before hosting Guinea at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

The qualifying campaign begins with the unresolved fallout from the 2027 tournament’s previous deciding moment. Senegal defeated hosts Morocco in the final in January, but were stripped of the title after walking off the pitch for a 14-minute protest late in the match. The trophy was subsequently awarded to Morocco.

Senegal have appealed against the Confederation of African Football’s ruling, with the case due to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 8.

Morocco, meanwhile, will open their Group A campaign against Gabon in Rabat before travelling to face Lesotho in Bloemfontein on September 29. Morocco were the best-performing African team at the World Cup, reaching the quarterfinals.

Lesotho are among 12 nations required to stage home matches at neutral venues because they do not have a stadium considered suitable for international competition by the Confederation of African Football.

Senegal’s home fixture against Mozambique has also been moved because of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. They begin their Group J campaign in Maputo on Friday, with France legend Patrick Vieira taking charge after their disappointing World Cup. Sadio Mane is one of several previously prominent players left out of Vieira’s first squad.

Tunisia have also undergone significant changes. They were the only one of the 10 African countries at the World Cup not to progress beyond the first round, and just 14 players from this year’s tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the US have been retained.

New coach Moin Chaabani will make his debut when Tunisia host Uganda in Group H on Thursday. Tunisia are aiming to extend their record run of successive appearances at the finals to 18.

The opening fixtures also include a major Group C meeting between Ivory Coast and Ghana on Thursday, while South Africa’s match against Guinea is an important early test for both teams.