AFCON 2027 qualifying: Algeria, Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire among opening-day winners

The first 24 matches of the CAN 2027 qualifying campaign have produced an early picture of the 12 groups, with Algeria, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Mauritania, Cameroon, Togo, Sudan, Mali and Guinea-Bissau all beginning with three points.

The opening round has also left several sections finely balanced, with no team able to establish an advantage in some groups.

In Group H, all four teams are level after two draws. Libya and Botswana shared a 2-2 draw before Tunisia and Uganda played out a 1-1 draw.

There is a similar situation in Group F, where Burkina Faso and Benin are level after their opening fixtures. Senegal and Mozambique have also taken one point each in Group J.

The first round has therefore produced a mixture of early leaders and closely matched groups, with the first results already shaping the race for qualification.

How the qualification places work

The qualification format is different in Groups D, H and L because Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are co-hosts of CAN 2027 and are automatically guaranteed places in the final tournament.

That means only one of the other three teams in each of those groups can qualify for the second available place. The best-performing selection among those remaining sides will secure the additional qualification spot.

The group standings after the first matchday are:

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Group I

Group J

Group K

Group L

With the opening fixtures complete, the next matches will begin to separate the teams that made winning starts from those who must respond quickly. In Groups D, H and L, the presence of the automatically qualified co-hosts means the battle for the remaining place will be especially focused on the three other nations in each section.