Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers: Ivory Coast and Ghana headline opening round

The Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying campaign begins this week, with the first round of matches taking place from Thursday to Saturday as teams begin their attempts to reach the finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The standout fixture is expected to be the meeting between Ivory Coast and Ghana in Bouake, with both sides starting their campaigns in one of African football’s biggest rivalries.

Elsewhere, Egypt – the continent’s most successful team – host Angola, while Morocco, runners-up at the last Africa Cup of Nations, face Gabon in Rabat.

The other finalists from the previous tournament, Senegal, begin their qualifying campaign at home against Mozambique.

Thursday’s fixtures

13:00 – Namibia v Congo 16:00 – DR Congo v Equatorial Guinea 16:00 – Mauritania v Central African Republic 16:00 – Libya v Botswana 19:00 – Ivory Coast v Ghana 19:00 – Sierra Leone v Zimbabwe 19:00 – Cameroon v Comoros 19:00 – Tunisia v Uganda

Friday’s fixtures

13:00 – Tanzania v Guinea-Bissau 15:00 – Niger v Lesotho 16:00 – Malawi v South Sudan 16:00 – Gambia v Somalia 16:00 – Togo v Burundi 16:00 – Sudan v Ethiopia 16:00 – Rwanda v Liberia 16:00 – Nigeria v Madagascar 19:00 – Morocco v Gabon 19:00 – Egypt v Angola 19:00 – Burkina Faso v Benin 19:00 – Algeria v Zambia 19:00 – Senegal v Mozambique 19:00 – Mali v Cape Verde

Saturday’s fixtures

13:00 – Kenya v Eritrea 16:00 – South Africa v Guinea