AFCON 2027
The Full AFCON 2027 Qualifying Draw: All 12 Groups
7 min read · RibbonsXP Team
The road to East Africa has a map now. CAF concluded the qualifier draw for AFCON PAMOJA 2027 in Cairo on 19 May 2026, sending 48 nations to their groups on the path to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The tournament itself will be staged in East Africa for the first time in 51 years, with 24 teams confirmed for the finals running 19 June to 17 July 2027.
The ceremony was conducted by four African football legends: Max-Alain Gradel, William Troost-Ekong, Essam El Hadary and Trésor Mputu.
Every group, in full
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo
Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau
The qualifying rules
The qualifiers are played as home-and-away fixtures — six matchdays per team:
- General rule: the top two teams in each group qualify directly for the finals.
- Host countries: Kenya (Group D), Uganda (Group H) and Tanzania (Group L) are automatically through as co-hosts. In those three groups, only the highest-ranked non-host team takes the remaining qualifying spot.
Matchday schedule:
- Days 1 & 2: 21 September – 6 October 2026
- Days 3 & 4: 9 – 17 November 2026
- Days 5 & 6: 22 – 30 March 2027
The headline storyline: Kenya vs South Africa
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy will come up against the country he represented as a player — South Africa, for whom he still holds the international goal-scoring record with 31 goals. Guinea and Eritrea complete Group D.
Groups worth circling on a travel calendar
Group C has a strong West African flavour: 2023 champions Côte d'Ivoire against Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia.
Group H is tight for everyone except Uganda — Tunisia, Libya and Botswana are fighting for the one qualifying spot left once the host's place is accounted for.
Group L puts Nigeria in Tanzania's group alongside Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau — a high-profile name in the mix for the co-host's qualifying group.
Group J sends Senegal up against Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia.
!CAF officials at the AFCON 2027 qualifier draw in Cairo
Why this matters if you're planning to travel
Knowing the groups — even before a ball is kicked in qualifying — lets you do real planning instead of guessing:
- Pick a base city with intent. If you're following a specific nation's group, their qualifying form over the next six months tells you how likely they are to be in East Africa next June. Match that against which of Nairobi, Kampala or Dar es Salaam you'd rather be based in.
- Watch the host groups closely. Groups D, H and L only send one extra team through instead of two — these are the tightest, most-watched qualifying battles of the whole campaign.
- Don't wait for March 2027 to start planning. The tournament window (19 June – 17 July 2027) is locked regardless of how qualifying plays out. Flights and accommodation get more expensive the longer you wait, not less.
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*Based on CAF's official report, "The Road to East Africa mapped out: The Qualifier Draw for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 concluded," published 19 May 2026.*