CAF sets Rabat stage for opening draw of 2027 AFCON qualifying journey

The Confederation of African Football will on Tuesday, January 13, stage the draw for the preliminary round of qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, formally launching the road to the finals to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. in Rabat and will represent the first competitive step in a campaign that will eventually determine the teams that earn a place at the continent’s flagship tournament.

This initial phase of qualifying has been designed to accommodate the lowest-ranked nations in the most recent FIFA rankings.

A total of 12 teams will take part in the preliminary round, while 42 countries have already secured direct entry into the group stage of the qualifiers.

The teams involved in this opening hurdle are Lesotho, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe, Djibouti, Somalia, Seychelles and Eritrea.

For many of these nations, the preliminary draw offers a rare opportunity to gain momentum early and extend their presence in the qualification process.

CAF has opted for a straightforward draw format.

The six highest-ranked teams among the 12 will be placed in pot 1, while the remaining six will be assigned to pot 2.

Each pairing will contest a two-legged tie, with the teams from pot 1 facing opponents from pot 2 on a home-and-away basis.

In line with the competition regulations, the first legs will be hosted by the pot 2 sides, meaning the lower-ranked teams will have the chance to play in front of their home supporters before travelling for the return fixtures.

This structure is intended to offer a balanced pathway and ensure that no team is eliminated after a single match.

At the conclusion of the preliminary round, the six victorious teams will advance to join the 42 nations already assured of a place in the group stage draw.

From that point, the full qualification programme for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will gather pace, with places at the finals in East Africa up for grabs.

For CAF, Tuesday’s ceremony is more than a routine administrative exercise.

It symbolises the start of a long and demanding journey for dozens of countries, many of whom will be plotting carefully how to navigate the preliminary phase and build towards the group stage.

With the finals set to be shared between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the 2027 edition promises to be one of the most logistically ambitious tournaments the confederation has undertaken.

The draw in Rabat will therefore not only determine the first set of match-ups but also set the tone for a qualification campaign that will unfold across the continent over the coming months.

As anticipation builds, all eyes will be on the names pulled from the pots on Tuesday afternoon, with the 12 competing nations discovering who stands between them and a place in the next round of Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.