AFCON 2027 qualifiers: Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria among winners on opening matchday

All 48 teams involved in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have now played their first match, with Algeria, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Nigeria and Mali among the sides to make winning starts.

The opening round, played between Thursday 24 and Saturday 26 September, featured 24 matches. Togo also began with a victory, beating Burundi 1-0, while Senegal and Egypt were held to draws by Mozambique and Angola respectively.

Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique, while Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola. Zimbabwe produced one of the matchday’s notable comebacks, recovering from two goals down to defeat Sierra Leone 3-2.

Guinea-Bissau also made an important early statement by winning 2-0 away to Tanzania. Rwanda and Mali both recorded 3-1 victories, giving them strong starts in their respective groups.

The position is different in the groups containing the co-host nations. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have already qualified for the finals, meaning their results in this campaign do not affect their place in the tournament.

All results from the first matchday

Group A Morocco 2-0 Gabon Niger 2-1 Lesotho

Group B Malawi 2-1 South Sudan Egypt 0-0 Angola

Group C Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 Ghana Gambia 2-1 Somalia

Group D Kenya 1-1 Eritrea South Africa 2-1 Guinea

Group E DR Congo 2-0 Equatorial Guinea Sierra Leone 2-3 Zimbabwe

Group F Mauritania 3-1 Central African Republic Burkina Faso 1-1 Benin

Group G Namibia 1-0 Congo Cameroon 3-1 Comoros

Group H Libya 2-2 Botswana Tunisia 1-1 Uganda

Group I Togo 1-0 Burundi Algeria 3-1 Zambia

Group J Sudan 1-0 Ethiopia Mozambique 1-1 Senegal

Group K Rwanda 3-1 Liberia Mali 3-1 Cape Verde

Group L Tanzania 0-2 Guinea-Bissau Nigeria 2-1 Madagascar