AFCON 2027 qualifiers draw set for May 19 as 48 nations begin race to East Africa

AFCON 2027 qualifiers draw set for May 19 as 48 nations begin race to East Africa

AFCON 2027 qualifiers draw set for May 19 as 48 nations begin race to East Africa

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A total of 48 national teams, including the three co-hosts, will enter the qualification race. By the end of the campaign, only 24 teams will secure places at the finals of Africa’s biggest football competition

The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) officially begins on Tuesday afternoon when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) conducts the draw for the qualifiers in Cairo, Egypt.
The ceremony will take place on May 19, 2026, at 3:00 pm local time (12h00 GMT) at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association. It will mark the first major step toward the tournament that will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in June and July 2027.
A total of 48 national teams, including the three co-hosts, will enter the qualification race. By the end of the campaign, only 24 teams will secure places at the finals of Africa’s biggest football competition.

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The 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four during Tuesday’s draw. Each team will play the others in its group home and away across six matchdays. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams in every group will qualify automatically for the tournament.
However, there is a special arrangement for groups that include one of the three host nations. Since Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already qualified automatically as hosts, their groups will allow one additional team to progress. This ensures that the overall number of teams at the finals remains balanced while still giving the hosts competitive matches during the qualification phase.
The qualifiers will be played in three separate international windows on the FIFA calendar. The first two matchdays are scheduled between 21 September and 6 October 2026. Matchdays three and four will follow from 9 to 17 November 2026. The final two matchdays will be staged from 22 to 30 March 2027. These fixtures will determine which nations book their tickets to East Africa.

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The 2027 AFCON itself will kick off on 19 June 2027, with the final set for 17 July 2027. It will be a historic edition of the tournament as it will be the first time three countries co-host the competition. It will also mark the return of the continental showpiece to the East African region for the first time in decades.
Tuesday’s draw is therefore more than just a ceremony. It will shape the journey for giants of African football and emerging nations alike. Strong teams could find themselves in challenging groups, while others may see a clearer path to qualification. For the host nations, the draw will also determine the level of competition they face as they prepare to perform on home soil.
As the balls are drawn in Cairo, the countdown to AFCON 2027 will truly begin, and the battle for a place at Africa’s premier football stage will officially be underway.

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