2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers: Cote d’Ivoire face Ghana as first round begins

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign begins this week, with the opening round taking place from Thursday to Saturday as teams start their bid to reach the finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Thursday’s fixtures feature several of the continent’s leading sides, including Cameroon, Tunisia and Cote d’Ivoire. The standout match is in Bouake, where Cote d’Ivoire host Ghana in one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the opening round.

Egypt, the most successful team in Africa Cup of Nations history, begin their campaign at home against Angola. Morocco, runners-up at the most recent tournament, face Gabon in Rabat, while the other finalists from that competition, Senegal, welcome Mozambique.

Thursday

Namibia v Congo 13:00

DR Congo v Equatorial Guinea 16:00

Mauritania v Central African Republic 16:00

Libya v Botswana 16:00

Cote d’Ivoire v Ghana 19:00

Sierra Leone v Zimbabwe 19:00

Cameroon v Comoros 19:00

Tunisia v Uganda 19:00

The first round continues with Tanzania taking on Guinea-Bissau, while Nigeria face Madagascar. Togo meet Burundi and Gambia play Somalia, with Sudan hosting Ethiopia and Rwanda facing Liberia.

Friday

Tanzania v Guinea-Bissau 13:00

Niger v Lesotho 15:00

Malawi v South Sudan 16:00

Gambia v Somalia 16:00

Togo v Burundi 16:00

Sudan v Ethiopia 16:00

Rwanda v Liberia 16:00

Nigeria v Madagascar 16:00

Morocco v Gabon 19:00

Egypt v Angola 19:00

Burkina Faso v Benin 19:00

Algeria v Zambia 19:00

Senegal v Mozambique 19:00

Mali v Cape Verde 19:00

The opening round concludes on Saturday with two matches. Kenya, one of the three co-hosts of the finals, play Eritrea, while South Africa meet Guinea.

Saturday

Kenya v Eritrea 13:00

South Africa v Guinea 16:00