These CAN 2027 qualifiers will start with a bang, featuring several big clashes on opening day. One of the highlights of the first matchday will be the showdown between Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, two giants of continental football.
Morocco will host Gabon, while Egypt, seven-time African champions, will welcome Angola. Algeria will also begin their campaign at home against Zambia.
A high-stakes second matchday
The matches will follow one after another without interruption. The second matchday will begin on Monday, September 28, with several decisive matches, notably the Central African Republic hosting Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone traveling to Equatorial Guinea, as well as the fixtures Zimbabwe vs. DR Congo and Botswana vs. Tunisia.
On Tuesday, September 29, a new round of matchups awaits, including Lesotho vs. Morocco, Burundi vs. Algeria, Mozambique vs. Sudan, and Ethiopia vs. Senegal.
Rules, groups, and qualification schedule
The 48 nations have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The qualifying phase will follow a home-and-away format over six matchdays:
Matchdays 1 and 2: from September 24 to October 6, 2026
Matchdays 3 and 4: from November 9 to 17, 2026
Matchdays 5 and 6: from March 22 to 30, 2027
At the end of these qualifiers, the top two teams from each group will secure their spot in the competition. However, a special rule applies to groups D, H, and L, which include Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. As co-hosts of the tournament, these three countries are automatically qualified. In their respective groups, only the best remaining team will claim a place.
As a reminder, the final stage of CAN 2027 will take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Schedule for Matchday 1 (GMT times)
September 24
13:00: Namibia vs. Congo
16:00: DR Congo vs. Equatorial Guinea
16:00: Mauritania vs. Central African Republic
16:00: Libya vs. Botswana
19:00: Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ghana
19:00: Sierra Leone vs. Zimbabwe
19:00: Cameroon vs. Comoros
19:00: Tunisia vs. Uganda
September 25
13:00: Tanzania vs. Guinea-Bissau
15:00: Niger vs. Lesotho
16:00: Malawi vs. South Sudan
16:00: Gambia vs. Somalia
16:00: Togo vs. Burundi
16:00: Sudan vs. Ethiopia
16:00: Rwanda vs. Liberia
16:00: Nigeria vs. Madagascar
19:00: Morocco vs. Gabon
19:00: Egypt vs. Angola
19:00: Burkina Faso vs. Benin
19:00: Algeria vs. Zambia
19:00: Senegal vs. Mozambique
19:00: Mali vs. Cape Verde
September 26
13:00: Kenya vs. Eritrea
16:00: South Africa vs. Guinea
Schedule for Matchday 2 (GMT times)
September 28
16:00: Equatorial Guinea vs. Sierra Leone
16:00: Zimbabwe vs. DR Congo
16:00: Central African Republic vs. Burkina Faso
19:00: Botswana vs. Tunisia
September 29
11:00: Comoros vs. Namibia
13:00: Lesotho vs. Morocco
13:00: South Sudan vs. Egypt
13:00: Burundi vs. Algeria
13:00: Mozambique vs. Sudan
13:00: Ethiopia vs. Senegal
13:00: Madagascar vs. Tanzania
16:00: Ghana vs. Gambia
16:00: Uganda vs. Libya
16:00: Zambia vs. Togo
16:00: Cape Verde vs. Rwanda
16:00: Guinea-Bissau vs. Nigeria
19:00: Gabon vs. Niger
19:00: Somalia vs. Côte d’Ivoire
19:00: Benin vs. Mauritania
19:00: Congo vs. Cameroon
19:00: Liberia vs. Mali
September 30
16:00: Eritrea vs. South Africa
October 1
16:00: Guinea vs. Kenya
October 6
19:00: Angola vs. Malawi
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À propos de l'auteur
Malick BAMBA
Rédacteur sportif
Le sport africain au quotidien, ces belles histoires et polémiques en tous genres.