The draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers has delivered one of the tournament’s most anticipated group-stage matchups, pairing regional heavyweights Ghana and Ivory Coast in a tough Group C that will test both sides’ credentials ahead of the finals. Jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the 2027 tournament will run from June 19 to July 17, marking a new chapter for African football that comes amid lingering uncertainty over the result of the controversial 2025 edition.
Ghana, colloquially known as the Black Stars, found itself unseeded for the Cairo draw after dropping down FIFA’s global rankings in the wake of its failure to qualify for the 2023-24 Afcon held in Morocco. Joining Ghana and Ivory Coast in Group C are 2021 quarter-finalists The Gambia, who impressed on their tournament debut three years ago, and Somalia, making the four-team group one of the most challenging on paper. Former Ivory Coast international Max-Alain Gradel, who won the 2021 Afcon title with the Elephants on home soil and served as a draw assistant in Cairo, acknowledged the toughness of the matchup. “Why always us? This group is a difficult group,” Gradel said, adding: “But we will do everything that we can to qualify. I believe in the team so there is no problem.”
A total of 48 national teams entered qualifying, split into 12 four-team groups. Under standard qualifying rules, the top two teams from each group would advance to the 24-team finals. However, the structure is adjusted to accommodate the three co-host nations, who already receive automatic qualification. For the groups containing Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, only one additional qualifying spot will be up for grabs, raising the stakes for seeded teams drawn alongside the hosts. Powerhouses Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia all face tight qualification battles after being placed in groups with one of the three co-hosts. Kenya, for its part, will face Eritrea — which is returning to Afcon qualifying for the first time since the preliminary rounds for the 2008 tournament — alongside Guinea and South Africa in Group A.
Other notable draw results include record seven-time Afcon champions Egypt being placed with Angola, Malawi and South Sudan in Group B, while 2021 champions Senegal will face Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J. Defending (but disputed) 2025 champions Morocco will face Gabon, Niger and Lesotho in Group A.
The qualifying schedule will unfold over three international windows across the next 10 months: the first two matchdays will run between September 21 and October 6, 2026, followed by matchdays three and four from November 9 to 17, 2026, with the final two qualification rounds set for March 22 to 30, 2027.
Beyond the 2027 qualifying draw, African football still faces unresolved fallout from the 2025 Afcon final, which finished in dramatic and controversial fashion. Senegal defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 in extra time on January 18, but the match was marred by a penalty decision that sparked a 17-minute delay after multiple Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest. While Brahim Diaz saw his late stoppage-time penalty saved, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeals board ruled in March that Senegal had breached tournament regulations, awarding Morocco a 3-0 walkover victory and the 2025 title. The Senegalese Football Federation has rejected CAF’s ruling and appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has not yet issued a final judgment on the dispute.
Recent organizational changes to Afcon have also been confirmed: CAF has announced that starting in 2028, the tournament will be held every four years, adjusting from its current every-two-years schedule, and CAF president Patrice Motsepe has stated that organizational deficiencies seen in the 2025 final have already been addressed.