DR Congo, Morocco and Ivory Coast could seal Afcon places in November qualifiers

The first places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations could be confirmed during the latest round of qualifying matches, which begin on Thursday.

Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Morocco are among the leading contenders to maintain their 100% records in the qualifiers for the finals, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17.

Two teams will qualify from each of the 12 groups, apart from three groups with different qualification arrangements. Victories in their next fixtures would guarantee the Congolese, Ivorians and Moroccans a place at the 24-team tournament.

DR Congo play Sierra Leone, Morocco face Niger and Ivory Coast meet Gambia. The Gambians caused one of several early shocks in September by beating Ghana in Group C.

The 10-day international window includes the third and fourth rounds of group matches. The final two rounds are scheduled for March.

Ghana and Nigeria under pressure

Ghana are at a particularly important stage after qualifying for this year’s World Cup but failing to reach the most recent Afcon finals in Morocco following a disastrous qualifying campaign.

The Black Stars lost to Ivory Coast in their opening match before suffering a surprise home defeat by Gambia. They conceded four goals in that game, which contributed to the departure of veteran Portuguese manager Carlos Queiroz.

Kim Lars Bjorkegren, the 44-year-old Swede who manages Ghana’s women’s team, has taken charge on a caretaker basis while the search for Queiroz’s permanent successor continues.

Ghana welcome back captain Jordan Ayew and Mohammed Kudus from injury for successive matches against Somalia in Sekondi on Thursday and Monday. Antoine Semenyo remains unavailable.

Somalia have given up home advantage because they do not have an international-standard stadium.

Nigeria are also in danger after suffering an embarrassing 3-0 defeat by Guinea Bissau in their last Group L match. The Super Eagles must beat Tanzania in both games, in Uyo on Friday and Dar-es-Salaam next Tuesday.

Officials in Nigeria’s football administration have already lost their jobs after the country failed to qualify for the World Cup. Missing out on the Afcon, where Nigeria reached the semi-finals last time, would be another significant setback.

Cape Verde’s progress is also at risk. The island nation delighted supporters and neutrals by reaching the World Cup knockout stage on their first appearance, but lost their opening two Afcon qualifiers after returning from the United States. They are bottom of Group K and play Liberia at home and away on Friday and Tuesday.

Notable November Afcon qualifiers

All times South Africa time

Thursday: Ghana v Somalia (17:00); Equatorial Guinea v Zimbabwe (18:00); Guinea v Eritrea (18:00); Cameroon v Namibia (21:00); Ivory Coast v Gambia (21:00); Senegal v Sudan (21:00).

Friday: Zambia v Burundi (15:00); South Africa v Kenya (18:00); Nigeria v Tanzania (18:00); Tunisia v Libya (18:00); Egypt v Malawi (21:00); Mali v Rwanda (21:00); Morocco v Niger (22:00).

Saturday: Algeria v Togo (21:00).

Monday (16th): Namibia v Cameroon, Sudan v Senegal and Zimbabwe v Equatorial Guinea (15:00); Somalia v Ghana and Eritrea v Guinea (18:00).

Tuesday (17th): Burundi v Zambia, Malawi v Egypt and Tanzania v Nigeria (15:00); Kenya v South Africa, Gambia v Ivory Coast, Libya v Tunisia and Togo v Algeria (18:00); Rwanda v Mali (21:00); Niger v Morocco (22:00).