CAF confirms regional draw procedure for U23 AFCON 2027 qualifying first round

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the draw procedure for the first round of the 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with 28 teams set to be paired according to their geographical regions.

The teams entering the first round have been divided into three pots, reflecting the continent’s regional football groupings.

The first pot combines teams from the North African Football Union (UNAF), the Union of North African Football Associations and the West African Football Union (WAFU), while the second pot consists entirely of teams from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA).

The third pot is made up of teams from the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA).

Pot 1

The first pot contains 10 teams:

• Libya
• Tunisia
• Mauritania
• Sierra Leone
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Togo
• DR Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• São Tomé and Príncipe

Pot 2

The CECAFA pot consists of eight teams:

• Djibouti
• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Rwanda
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Uganda

Pot 3

The COSAFA pot contains 10 teams:

• Angola
• Botswana
• Comoros
• Eswatini
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Namibia
• Seychelles
• Zimbabwe

How the draw will work

CAF’s draw procedure will see teams paired sequentially within each pot.

The first team drawn will be paired with the second team drawn, with the process continuing until all teams in the relevant pot have been matched.

The team drawn first in each pairing will have home advantage in the first leg.

The format means the identity of each pairing will be determined entirely by the order in which the teams are selected during the draw.

The first-round qualifiers are therefore expected to produce a series of two-legged ties, with teams needing to prevail over two matches to progress to the next stage of the qualification process.

The regional distribution is designed to organise the opening phase of the qualifying campaign while taking into account the geographical groupings of the participating nations.

Egypt have already secured their place at the 2027 U23 AFCON as hosts, meaning the qualifying competition will determine the other teams that will join them at the tournament.

The 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations will also serve as the qualifying competition for the men’s football tournament at the 2028 Olympic Games.

With the draw procedure now confirmed, attention will turn to the actual pairings and the first-leg fixtures as the participating countries begin their preparations for the qualification campaign.