2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying: fixtures, groups and broadcast details

The race to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will begin in September 2026, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda hosting the tournament. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has retained a 48-team group-stage format, with the three host nations guaranteed qualification despite competing in the groups.

Since the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, the finals have featured 24 teams rather than 16. The 48 sides are divided into 12 groups of four, with each team playing six matches home and away. The top two teams in each group qualify automatically, except for the three hosts, who are assured of places at the finals.

The first two rounds are scheduled between 21 September and 6 October 2026, with rounds three and four taking place from 9-17 November 2026. The final two rounds are listed for 22-30 March 2027.

Qualifying matches are broadcast by beIN Sports in Qatar, as well as by the terrestrial television channels of the participating countries.

Group A

Round one: Niger 1-2 Lesotho, Accra, 25 September 2026, 16:00 Morocco time (19:00 Saudi Arabia time); Morocco 0-2 Gabon, Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, 25 September, 19:00 (22:00).

Round two: Lesotho v Morocco, Toyota, 29 September, 13:00 (16:00); Gabon v Niger, Franceville, 29 September, 19:00 (22:00).

Round three: Morocco v Niger; Gabon v Lesotho, 9-17 November 2026. Round four: Niger v Morocco; Lesotho v Gabon, 9-17 November. Round five: Gabon v Morocco; Lesotho v Niger, 22-30 March 2026. Round six: Morocco v Lesotho; Niger v Gabon, 22-30 March 2026. The remaining fixtures have no confirmed times or results.

Group B

Round one: Malawi 1-2 South Sudan, Bingu National Stadium, 25 September 2026, 19:00 Egypt time (20:00 UAE); Egypt 0-0 Angola, Cairo International Stadium, 25 September, 22:00 (23:00).

Round two: South Sudan v Egypt, Juba, 29 September, 16:00 (17:00); Angola v Malawi, 11 November Stadium, 6 October, 22:00 (23:00).

Round three: Egypt v Malawi; Angola v South Sudan. Round four: Malawi v Egypt; South Sudan v Angola. Round five: Angola v Egypt; South Sudan v Malawi. Round six: Egypt v South Sudan; Malawi v Angola. Rounds three and four are scheduled for 9-17 November 2026, while rounds five and six are listed for 22-30 March 2026.

Group C

Cote d’Ivoire lost 0-2 to Ghana in Bouake on 24 September 2026, while Gambia beat Somalia 1-2 at Independence Stadium on 25 September.

Ghana host Gambia in Accra on 29 September at 19:00 Egypt time (20:00 UAE), and Somalia play Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake at 22:00 (23:00).

The remaining fixtures are Ghana v Somalia and Cote d’Ivoire v Gambia in round three; Somalia v Ghana and Gambia v Cote d’Ivoire in round four; Ghana v Cote d’Ivoire and Somalia v Gambia in round five; and Gambia v Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire v Somalia in round six. Rounds three and four are set for 9-17 November 2026, with rounds five and six listed for 22-30 March 2026.

Group D

Kenya play Eritrea at Nyayo National Stadium on 26 September 2026 at 16:00 Egypt time (17:00 UAE), while South Africa face Guinea at Orlando at 19:00 (20:00).

Eritrea meet South Africa at Peace Stadium on 30 September at 19:00, and Guinea host Kenya at General Lansana Conte Stadium on 1 October at the same time.

The later fixtures are Guinea v Eritrea and South Africa v Kenya; Eritrea v Guinea and Kenya v South Africa; Eritrea v Kenya and Guinea v South Africa; and Kenya v Guinea and South Africa v Eritrea. These are scheduled across rounds three to six, with the same 9-17 November 2026 and 22-30 March 2026 windows.

Group E

In the opening matches, Equatorial Guinea beat DR Congo 0-2 at Stade des Martyrs on 24 September 2026. Sierra Leone defeated Zimbabwe 3-2 at Ben Mohamed Al-Abdi Stadium later that day.

Equatorial Guinea play Sierra Leone at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium on 28 September at 19:00 Egypt time (20:00 UAE), while Zimbabwe host DR Congo at National Sports Stadium at the same time.

The remaining schedule is DR Congo v Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea v Zimbabwe; Sierra Leone v DR Congo and Zimbabwe v Equatorial Guinea; Equatorial Guinea v DR Congo and Zimbabwe v Sierra Leone; and DR Congo v Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone v Equatorial Guinea. The fixtures fall in the 9-17 November 2026 and 22-30 March 2026 windows.

Group F

Central African Republic beat Mauritania 1-3 at Stade Larbi Zaouli on 24 September 2026. Burkina Faso and Benin drew 1-1 at 4 August Stadium on 25 September.

Central African Republic play Burkina Faso at Stade Larbi Zaouli on 28 September at 19:00 Egypt time (20:00 UAE), while Benin host Mauritania at Alassane Ouattara Stadium at 20:00 (21:00).

The remaining games are Benin v Central African Republic and Burkina Faso v Mauritania; Central African Republic v Benin and Mauritania v Burkina Faso; Benin v Burkina Faso and Central African Republic v Mauritania; and Burkina Faso v Central African Republic and Mauritania v Benin.

Group G

Namibia lost 0-1 to Congo at Francistown Stadium on 24 September 2026. Cameroon were beaten 1-3 by Comoros at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium on the same day.

Comoros host Namibia at Omnisports de Malouzini on 29 September at 14:00 Egypt time (15:00 UAE), while Congo face Cameroon at Alphonse Massamba-Debat Stadium at 22:00 (23:00).

The later pairings are Cameroon v Namibia and Comoros v Congo; Namibia v Cameroon and Congo v Comoros; Comoros v Cameroon and Congo v Namibia; and Cameroon v Congo and Namibia v Comoros.

Group H

Libya drew 2-2 with Botswana at Tripoli International Stadium on 24 September 2026. Tunisia and Uganda shared a 1-1 draw at Hammadi Agrebi Olympic Stadium.

Botswana host Tunisia at Botswana National Stadium on 28 September at 20:00 Tunisia time (22:00 Saudi Arabia), while Uganda meet Libya at Mandela National Stadium on 29 September at 17:00 (19:00).

The remaining fixtures are Tunisia v Libya and Uganda v Botswana; Libya v Tunisia and Botswana v Uganda; Uganda v Tunisia and Botswana v Libya; and Tunisia v Botswana and Libya v Uganda.

Groups I-L

In Group I, Togo lost 0-1 to Burundi in Kegue on 25 September 2026, while Algeria were beaten 1-3 by Zambia at Hocine Ait Ahmed Stadium. Burundi host Algeria at Intwari Stadium on 29 September, with Zambia facing Togo at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.

Group J began with Ethiopia beating Sudan 0-1 in Juba. Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique at Daio Bibi Stadium. Ethiopia host Senegal at Dire Dawa Stadium, while Mozambique play Sudan at Zimpeto on 29 September.

In Group K, Rwanda lost 1-3 to Liberia at Amahoro Stadium, while Mali suffered a 1-3 defeat by Cape Verde at 26 March Stadium. Cape Verde host Rwanda at National Stadium, and Liberia meet Mali at Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.

Group L opened with Tanzania beating Guinea-Bissau 2-0 at Amaan Stadium. Madagascar defeated Nigeria 1-2 at Godswill Akpabio Stadium. Madagascar then host Tanzania at Stade d’Honneur de Meknes, while Guinea-Bissau face Nigeria at 24 September Stadium.

All remaining matches in Groups I, J, K and L follow the same qualification windows: rounds three and four from 9-17 November 2026, and rounds five and six from 22-30 March 2026.