Full summary of results and standings after the AFCON 2027 qualifiers Matchday 1

The race for places at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA 2027 officially exploded into life as Matchday 1 of the qualifying group stage concluded across the continent. Staged between September 24 and 26, 2026, the opening round of fixtures established early benchmarks across the 12 qualifying groups.

Defending champions Morocco, alongside several established African heavyweights including Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Cameroon, and Nigeria, made winning starts.

Meanwhile, a few surprising stalemates and away triumphs set the stage for an intense qualification cycle as 48 nations battle for 24 coveted spots in the finals.

The opening phase was characterized by tactical discipline mixed with exceptional clinical efficiency. Returning head coach Hervé Renard guided reigning champions Ivory Coast to a flawless 2-0 defeat of Ghana in a high-profile West African derby.

In Group G, Cameroon displayed an emphatic performance by comfortably seeing off a resilient Comoros side 3-1 in Garoua. Not all regional powerhouses had a smooth sail, however, as Egypt found themselves frustrated at home in Cairo following a tactical 0-0 gridlock against Angola.

Patrick Vieira’s debut as the newly appointed head coach of Senegal similarly hit a bump as the Teranga Lions were held to a 1-1 draw by Mozambique.

Away teams also enjoyed phenomenal success during the opening fixtures. Guinea-Bissau produced one of the standout results of the round, securing a monumental 2-0 away victory over tournament co-hosts Tanzania. In Group E, Zimbabwe staged a magnificent comeback, rallying from two goals down to edge out Sierra Leone 3-2 in an entertaining five-goal thriller.

With all 12 groups now fully active, early point tallies are beginning to dictate early dynamics. The competitive nature of this phase is exemplified by Group H, where all four teams sit perfectly equal following identical scorelines across two separate match fixtures.

Match-by-Match Summaries

Namibia 1–0 Congo

• Goalscorer: Bethuel Muzeu (47′)
• Venue: Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg (Neutral Venue)

Mauritania 3–1 Central African Republic

• Goalscorers: Aboubakary Koita (32′ pen), Dawda Camara (69′), Mamadou Diallo (89′) / Goduine Koyalipou (48′)
• Venue: Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, Nouakchott

DR Congo 2–0 Equatorial Guinea

• Goalscorers: Chancel Mbemba (4′), Yoane Wissa (72′)
• Venue: Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa

Libya 2–2 Botswana

• Goalscorers: Maruwan Alhibeeshi (87′), Ezoo El Mariamy (90+6′ pen) / Tumisang Orebonye (30′, 42′)
• Venue: Martyrs of February Stadium, Benghazi

Sierra Leone 2–3 Zimbabwe

• Goalscorers: Alie Conteh (7′), Sallieu Tarawallie (27′) / Marshall Munetsi (72′, 88′), Tawanda Chirewa (76′)
• Venue: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia (Neutral Venue)

Ivory Coast 2–0 Ghana

• Goalscorers: Malick Yalcouyé (44′), Franck Kessié (58′ pen)
• Venue: Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan

Tunisia 1–1 Uganda

• Goalscorers: Adem Arous (12′) / Rogers Mato (68′)
• Venue: Stade Hammadi Agrebi, Tunis

Cameroon 3–1 Comoros

• Goalscorers: David Nyengue (39′), Bryan Mbeumo (48′), Danny Namaso (81′) / Warmed Omari (51′)
• Venue: Stade Roumdé Adjia, Garoua

Tanzania 0–2 Guinea-Bissau

• Goalscorers: Franculino Djú (33′), Mama Baldé (58′)
• Venue: Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam

Mozambique 1–1 Senegal

• Goalscorers: Geny Catamo (45+2′) / Nicolas Jackson (32′)
• Venue: Estádio Nacional do Zimpeto, Maputo

Sudan 1–0 Ethiopia

• Goalscorer: Mohamed Eisa (86′)
• Venue: Juba Stadium, Juba (Neutral Venue)

Niger 2–1 Lesotho

• Goalscorers: Daniel Sosah (38′), Oumar Sako (45′) / Sera Motebang (85′ pen)
• Venue: Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey

Malawi 2–1 South Sudan

• Goalscorers: Blessing Adepoju (20′), Lloyd Njaliwa (64′) / Joseph Dhata (48′)
• Venue: Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe

Nigeria 2–1 Madagascar

• Goalscorers: George Ilenikhena (45+1′), Moses Usor (65′) / Eshan Kari (16′)
• Venue: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo

Gambia 2–1 Somalia

• Goalscorers: Ebrima Colley (18′ pen), Mohamed Badamosi (83′) / Bilal Njie (72′)
• Venue: Independence Stadium, Bakau

Rwanda 3–1 Liberia

• Goalscorers: Abeddy Biramahire (2′), Leroy Mickels (33′), Joylance Mickels (44′ pen) / Sylvanus Nimely (38′)
• Venue: Amahoro Stadium, Kigali

Togo 1–0 Burundi

• Goalscorer: Karim Dermane (17′)
• Venue: Stade de Kégué, Lomé

Algeria 3–1 Zambia

• Goalscorers: Jaouen Hadjam (2′), Ibrahim Maza (67′), Merouane Moussa (74′) / Fashion Sakala (56′)
• Venue: Miloud Hadefi Stadium, Oran

Burkina Faso 1–1 Benin

• Goalscorers: Bertrand Traoré (20′ pen) / Tosin Aiyegun (68′ pen)
• Venue: Stade du 4 Août, Ouagadougou

Egypt 0–0 Angola

• Goalscorers: None
• Venue: Cairo International Stadium, Cairo

Mali 3–1 Cape Verde

• Goalscorers: Demba Tia (5′), Nene Dorgeles (39′, 51′) / Jovane Cabral (10′)
• Venue: Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako

Morocco 2–0 Gabon

• Goalscorers: Noussair Mazraoui (36′), Soufiane Rahimi (84′)
• Venue: Grand Stade de Agadir, Agadir

Kenya 1–1 Eritrea

• Goalscorers: Ronald Ogam (87′) / Negassi Girmai (36′)
• Venue: Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi

South Africa 2–1 Guinea

• Goalscorers: Ime Okon (30′), Samukele Kabini (77′) / Seydouba Cissé (69′)
• Venue: FNB Stadium, Johannesburg

Group Standings Tables

Group A

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Morocco	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Niger	1	1	0	0	+1	3
3	Lesotho	1	0	0	1	-1	0
4	Gabon	1	0	0	1	-2	0

Group B

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Mauritania	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Malawi	1	1	0	0	+1	3
3	South Sudan	1	0	0	1	-1	0
4	Central African Republic	1	0	0	1	-2	0

Group C

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Ivory Coast	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Gambia	1	1	0	0	+1	3
3	Somalia	1	0	0	1	-1	0
4	Ghana	1	0	0	1	-2	0

Group D

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	South Africa	1	1	0	0	+1	3
2	Eritrea	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	Kenya	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	Guinea	1	0	0	1	-1	0

Group E

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	DR Congo	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Zimbabwe	1	1	0	0	+1	3
3	Sierra Leone	1	0	0	1	-1	0
4	Equatorial Guinea	1	0	0	1	-2	0

Group F

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Benin	1	0	1	0	0	1
2	Burkina Faso	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	Angola	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	Egypt	1	0	1	0	0	1

Group G

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Cameroon	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Namibia	1	1	0	0	+1	3
3	Congo	1	0	0	1	-1	0
4	Comoros	1	0	0	1	-2	0

Group H

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Libya	1	0	1	0	0	1
2	Botswana	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	Tunisia	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	Uganda	1	0	1	0	0	1

Group I

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Algeria	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Togo	1	1	0	0	+1	3
3	Burundi	1	0	0	1	-1	0
4	Zambia	1	0	0	1	-2	0

Group J

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Sudan	1	1	0	0	+1	3
2	Mozambique	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	Senegal	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	Ethiopia	1	0	0	1	-1	0

Group K

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Mali	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Rwanda	1	1	0	0	+2	3
3	Cape Verde	1	0	0	1	-2	0
4	Liberia	1	0	0	1	-2	0

Group L

Position	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
1	Guinea-Bissau	1	1	0	0	+2	3
2	Nigeria	1	1	0	0	+1	3
3	Madagascar	1	0	0	1	-1	0
4	Tanzania	1	0	0	1	-2	0