CAN 2027 (Q): 10 fixtures to follow for a brand new start

But beyond the simple calendar, this new season has a particular flavour: it marks the grand debuts of several new head coaches, thrust onto the bench of major nations on the continent following a summer marked by numerous staff changes. Here, group by group, are the ten fixtures not to be missed.

Côte d'Ivoire - Ghana: Renard immediately launches a historic cycle

There is no better place to start. This is the only fixture across these first two matchdays to pit two nations who featured at the last World Cup against each other, and it falls on the very opening day of the campaign, on 24 September in Abidjan. It also carries symbolic weight: Hervé Renard takes charge of the Ivorian bench for this match, succeeding Emerse Faé, who was crowned African champion in 2024 before leaving his post. The Frenchman, already adorned with several continental titles with Zambia and Côte d'Ivoire in the past, must immediately contend with the pressure of a historic West African football host nation, facing Black Stars who are still scarred by their failure to qualify for the previous AFCON and who cannot afford any mistakes.

Maroc - Gabon

The paper African champions are also embarking on a new chapter. Mohamed Ouahbi, who took the reins of the Lions de l'Atlas just before the World Cup, must face Gabon and then Lesotho, with the stated ambition of carrying on their momentum. On the other side, Gabon have also turned the page by entrusting their bench to Sébastien Migné. A meeting between two sides each inaugurating their own cycle, against a backdrop of very unequal status: Maroc remains one of the continent's leading favourites, while the Panthères are above all hoping to confirm their recent progress.

Sénégal – Mozambique: the Lions turn the page on Thiaw

An equally significant kick-off on the Senegalese side. Patrick Vieira takes charge of the Lions for the first time against Mozambique, before hosting Éthiopie four days later. He succeeds Pape Thiaw, who departed after winning the CAN 2025 and guiding Sénégal to the round of sixteen at the 2026 World Cup, where the Lions were eliminated by Belgique despite having led 2-0. A delicate handover, in a context still marked by the appeal lodged by the Senegalese Federation before the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding the disputed final of the previous CAN against Maroc. Vieira therefore has not only to launch a qualification campaign: he must also convince that he can extend a winning cycle.

Tunisie – Ouganda: Chaâbani must rebuild under pressure

In Group H, where co-host Ouganda is already assured of its place in the final phase, Tunisie must immediately lay a decisive marker against Libye and Botswana for the second qualifying spot. A mission entrusted to Moïne Chaâbani, the new head coach who arrived after a particularly turbulent period for the Aigles de Carthage, marked by a staff change in the middle of the 2026 World Cup. Drawing on his experience at Espérance de Tunis and Renaissance de Berkane, the coach must quickly rebuild a playing identity and group cohesion, starting with this first fixture against the Ougandais.

Afrique du Sud – Guinée: Mosimane for a third stint under immense pressure

Another group where a host nation changes the dynamic: in Group D, with Kenya already qualified, only Afrique du Sud and Guinée will contest the remaining ticket, which turns each of their head-to-head clashes into a genuine knockout match. Pressure that Pitso Mosimane will have to manage, as he begins his third stint on the Bafana Bafana bench. The most decorated coach on the continent in the African Champions League returns with the experience of two previous mandates and the immediate obligation to pick up points against a Guinean opponent who also cannot afford to slip up.

Algérie – Zambie: Hemdani, barely crowned with the U21s, dives into the deep end

After guiding the Algerian Olympic or U21 side to a gold medal at the Tarente Mediterranean Games this summer, Ibrahim Hemdani was directly elevated to the head of the senior team. His baptism of fire takes place against Zambie, in Group I which also includes Togo and Burundi and which promises to be more fiercely contested than it appears. It is a bold gamble by the Algerian Federation: placing their trust in a coach who has never managed a senior national team to carry on a cycle that had been largely successful, marked by qualification for the AFCON and the World Cup under Vladimir Petkovic.

Mali – Cap-Vert: Da Silva inherits a stellar group for his first test

Appointed in June 2026 to succeed the Belgian Tom Saintfiet, who departed after the Aigles were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the last AFCON, the Franco-Portuguese coach Anthony Da Silva officially faces his group against Cap-Vert, one of the revelations of the last World Cup, before a high-risk trip to Liberia four days later. His first squad selection made waves with some bold choices, including the absence of captain Yves Bissouma and the integration of several new faces alongside key players in excellent form such as El Bilal Touré and Lassine Sinayoko. A full-scale test for a coach whom the federation has from the outset set the objective of reaching the semi-finals of CAN 2027.

Égypte – Angola

Another major continental name to follow, the Égypte of Hossam Hassan, the Pharaons' all-time leading scorer turned head coach after a managerial career built predominantly at club level, who led the Egyptians at CAN 2025 and then at the 2026 World Cup. He opens his qualifying campaign against an Angola who enjoy playing the role of spoilers, in Group B where Malawi and Soudan du Sud are dreaming of causing an upset.

Nigeria – Madagascar: the Super Eagles want to turn the page on their disappointments

Absent from the last World Cup and prematurely eliminated from the previous AFCON, the 2026 edition of the Super Eagles begin their qualification campaign with the obligation to quickly reassure their supporters. Against Madagascar, in Group L where Tanzania, already qualified as host nation, and Guinée-Bissau complete the picture, Nigeria cannot afford a false start if they are to reclaim their place among the great nations of African football.

Burkina Faso – Bénin: a West African derby under tension

In Group F, Burkina Faso and Bénin clash from the outset in a well-matched duel between two sides both targeting direct qualification, while Mauritanie and République centrafricaine are simply dreaming of a historic first appearance in the AFCON final phase.