Seeds confirmed ahead of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations draw

The seedings for Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers draw have been confirmed, with 48 nations divided into four pots ahead of the formation of the qualifying groups.

The draw, scheduled to take place in Cairo, will determine the path to the 24-team tournament, which is set to be staged from June 10 to July 17 next year.

A total of 12 groups comprising four teams each will be formed, with the top two sides from most groups earning qualification to the continental showpiece.

However, the participation of co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the qualifying campaign despite already securing automatic qualification has added an extra layer of complexity to the process.

Under the qualification format approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the top two teams from the nine groups that do not include a co-host will advance directly to the finals.

In the three groups featuring Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, only the highest-placed team that is not one of the co-host nations will secure qualification, given the trio’s guaranteed places at the tournament.

CAF has also ruled that the three host nations must be drawn into separate groups during Tuesday’s ceremony.

The seedings for the draw have been determined using the latest FIFA rankings released on April 1.

Level 1 features continental heavyweights Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Cameroon, DR Congo, Mali, South Africa and Burkina Faso.

Ghana headline Level 2 alongside Cape Verde, Guinea, Gabon, Uganda, Angola, Benin, Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea and Comoros.

Level 3 comprises Kenya, Libya, Tanzania, Niger, Mauritania, Gambia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Togo, Malawi and Rwanda.

Level 4 includes Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, Congo, Central African Republic, Liberia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.

The draw procedure will begin with the placement of the Level 4 teams before progressing through the remaining pots and concluding with the Level 1 nations. As a result, the top-seeded countries will have to wait longest to discover their opponents.

The qualifiers will be played across three international windows. The first matches are scheduled between September 21 and October 6, followed by another round from November 9 to 17 this year.

The final set of fixtures will be played from March 22 to 30 next year, with each team playing two matches during every window.