Football
AFCON 2027 Qualification: The Draw Is Done — Here's Every Group
8 min read · RibbonsXP Team
The guessing is over. CAF held the qualifier draw in Cairo on 19 May 2026, and every one of the 48 competing nations now knows exactly who stands between them and a place at AFCON PAMOJA 2027.
Here's the format, every group, and what it means if you're trying to work out whether your team is heading to East Africa.
How qualification actually works
This is the part most fan sites get wrong, so let's be precise: it is 12 groups of four teams, not six groups with a wildcard round. Each team plays the other three in their group home and away — six matchdays total. The top two in every group qualify. There is no third-place play-in.
The host exception: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are already through as co-hosts, but they still play their qualifying group. In Kenya's, Uganda's and Tanzania's groups, only the highest-placed team that isn't the host goes through — meaning those three groups send just one extra team to the finals instead of two.
That's 33 non-host teams competing across 12 groups for 21 spots (9 groups sending 2, 3 groups sending 1).
The qualifying windows
- Matchdays 1 & 2: 21 September – 6 October 2026
- Matchdays 3 & 4: 9 – 17 November 2026
- Matchdays 5 & 6: 22 – 30 March 2027
By early April 2027, the full 24-team lineup for the finals will be known — a little over two months before kick-off on 19 June.
Every group from the Cairo draw
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 🇰🇪 *(host)*, 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 🇺🇬 *(host)*, 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 🇹🇿 *(host)*, Guinea-Bissau
The draw was conducted at the Egyptian Football Association's headquarters by African football legends Max-Alain Gradel, William Troost-Ekong, Essam El Hadary and Trésor Mputu.
The groups worth watching
Group D is a genuine talking point for East African fans: Kenya coach Benni McCarthy faces his own country, South Africa — the side he still holds the international goal-scoring record for, with 31 goals. Guinea and Eritrea complete the group.
Group C has a West African edge, with 2023 champions Côte d'Ivoire drawn against Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia.
Group L pairs Tanzania's qualifying campaign with Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau — only one of Nigeria, Madagascar or Guinea-Bissau will join Tanzania at the finals.
Group H sees Uganda up against Tunisia, Libya and Botswana — a tough ask for whichever of the three non-hosts wants the single qualifying spot left after Uganda's automatic place.
Why this matters for your travel plans
Now that groups are set, you can actually track a specific team's road to East Africa rather than guessing:
- Book the tournament window regardless of your team's group. Qualification runs until late March 2027 — three months before kick-off — so locking in flights and accommodation early protects you from price increases regardless of how qualifying goes.
- Follow your team's group, not just their reputation. Morocco and Egypt look comfortable on paper, but groups like H and L (with a host nation inside them) are genuinely tighter than the seeding suggests.
- The atmosphere doesn't depend on any single team qualifying. Whoever the 24 finalists turn out to be, East Africa hosting AFCON for the first time since 1976 will be the story regardless.
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*Group draw information sourced from CAF's official announcement, 19 May 2026.*