AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Matchday 1 & 2 fixtures, kick-off times and venues confirmed

The race for places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations begins this week, with Ghana facing Côte d’Ivoire in one of the headline fixtures of the opening round of qualifiers.

The Black Stars travel to Bouaké to face the Elephants at the Stade de la Paix on Thursday, 24 September, with kick-off at 19:00 GMT.

The encounter is among several high-profile matches scheduled as the 48 participating nations begin their campaigns across 12 groups.

Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, both former African champions, will meet in Group C, while Gambia host Somalia in the other fixture in the group on Friday.

Elsewhere, record seven-time champions Egypt begin their campaign at home against Angola at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday.

Morocco, one of the three hosts of the 2027 tournament, face Gabon at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdallah, while Algeria take on Zambia at the Stade Hocine Aït Ahmed in Tizi-Ouzou.

The second round of matches begins on Monday, 28 September, with Central African Republic hosting Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea taking on Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe facing DR Congo and Botswana playing Tunisia.

A further round of fixtures will take place on Tuesday, 29 September, including Lesotho’s home meeting with Morocco, Burundi against Algeria, Mozambique versus Sudan and Ethiopia’s clash with Senegal.

The qualifiers will be played on a home-and-away basis across six matchdays, with the 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four.

After the opening two matchdays, qualifying will resume during the November FIFA international window from 9-17 November 2026. The final two rounds are scheduled for 22-30 March 2027.

The teams finishing first and second in groups that do not contain a co-host will qualify for the finals.

Hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have automatically qualified for the tournament. Kenya are in Group D, Uganda in Group H and Tanzania in Group L, with the highest-ranked team in each of those groups joining the hosts at the finals.

The 2027 AFCON will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027.

The tournament will mark the return of the continent’s premier international competition to East Africa for the first time in more than five decades.

Matchday 1 fixtures

Group A: Morocco v Gabon; Niger v Lesotho
Group B: Egypt v Angola; Malawi v South Sudan
Group C: Côte d’Ivoire v Ghana; Gambia v Somalia
Group D: South Africa v Guinea; Kenya v Eritrea
Group E: DR Congo v Equatorial Guinea; Sierra Leone v Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso v Benin; Mauritania v Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon v Comoros; Namibia v Congo
Group H: Tunisia v Uganda; Libya v Botswana
Group I: Algeria v Zambia; Togo v Burundi
Group J: Senegal v Mozambique; Sudan v Ethiopia
Group K: Mali v Cape Verde; Rwanda v Liberia
Group L: Nigeria v Madagascar; Tanzania v Guinea-Bissau

Matchday 2 fixtures

Group A: Gabon v Niger; Lesotho v Morocco
Group B: Angola v Malawi; South Sudan v Egypt
Group C: Ghana v Gambia; Somalia v Côte d’Ivoire
Group D: Guinea v Kenya; Eritrea v South Africa
Group E: Equatorial Guinea v Sierra Leone; Zimbabwe v DR Congo
Group F: Benin v Mauritania; Central African Republic v Burkina Faso
Group G: Comoros v Namibia; Congo v Cameroon
Group H: Uganda v Libya; Botswana v Tunisia
Group I: Zambia v Togo; Burundi v Algeria
Group J: Mozambique v Sudan; Ethiopia v Senegal
Group K: Cape Verde v Rwanda; Liberia v Mali
Group L: Madagascar v Tanzania; Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria