It is within the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Federation (EFA), in Cairo, that will be held this Tuesday, May 19 at 12:00 GMT the long-awaited ceremony of the draw for the qualifying groups of the CAN 2027. An event that will officially mark the operational kick-off of the 36th edition of the African Cup of Nations.
For the first time in the modern history of the competition, an unprecedented triptych from East Africa—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—will jointly carry the prestigious continental tournament, scheduled from Saturday, June 19 to Saturday, July 17, 2027. The African nations are now waiting to know their roadmap and especially their opponents, while the official allocation of stadiums to host the opening match and the grand final is still pending the last technical arbitrations of CAF.
A classic format and expensive seats
On the starting line of this qualification campaign, 48 selections will cross the iron. CAF competition commission has done it in the classic: the teams will be divided into 12 groups of four. At the end of the two-legged matches, the first two teams in each group will validate their ticket for the final phase, completing the table of 24 qualified nations.
But only slightly: although automatically qualified as the host country, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will actively participate in these qualifiers. Therefore, in each of the three groups that will host one of these host nations, only one qualifying place will remain accessible for the other three competitors. A configuration that promises fierce duels.
Qualifications in express mode
The main challenge of this qualification campaign lies indisputably in its temporality. With only thirteen months to go before the final tournament, CAF had to condense all six playoff days into an exceptionally short period, capitalizing on just three windows in the FIFA international calendar between autumn 2026 and spring 2027.
The official calendar published by the continental authority imposes a frantic pace:
Days 1 and 2: from September 21 to October 6, 2026
Days 3 and 4: from November 9 to 17, 2026
Days 5 and 6: from March 22 to 30, 2027
In the space of just seven months, staff will have to demonstrate consistency and resilience at any test, or risk missing out on African football.
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À propos de l'auteur
Philemon MBALE
Rédacteur sportif
Passionné de sport depuis toujours, partage avec vous les dernières actualités et analyses du monde sportif.