AFCON 2027: What you need to know before the big draw

In total, 48 national teams are entered and will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each. Among them are 42 directly qualified teams, plus six nations from the preliminary round: South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, Lesotho, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

The teams were divided into four levels of twelve formations based on the FIFA ranking from 1 April 2026. Each group will be composed of a team from each level.

The Pots
Not surprisingly, Hat 1 includes the great powers of African football. There are notably Senegal and Morocco, which still have to be decided for the 2025 title. Also present are Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Tunisia, Cameroon, DR Congo, Mali, South Africa, Burkina Faso.

In Pot 2 we will have: Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Uganda, Angola, Benin, Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Comoros

Pot 3: Kenya, Libya, Tanzania, Niger, Mauritania, Gambia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Togo, Malawi, Rwanda

Pot 4: Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, Congo, Central African Republic, Liberia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia.

Specific rules for host countries
CAF has specified that the three countries organizing, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will not be able to be housed in the same group. Kenya and Tanzania, both placed in level 3, will therefore have to be divided into separate groups.

On the question of qualification, the teams ranked first and second in the groups without a host country will win their ticket to the final phase. In groups containing a host country, it will automatically qualify. If the host country finishes first in the group, the second one will also qualify. On the other hand, if the host finishes second, third or fourth, only the first of the group will accompany the host country to the final tournament.

The elimination schedule
The AFCON 2027 qualifiers will be held in six rounds spread over three FIFA periods: Days 1 and 2 from 21 September to 6 October 2026; Days 3 and 4 from 9 to 17 November 2026; and Days 5 and 6 from 22 to 30 March 2027.

The final phase of AFCON 2027 will be held from 19 June to 17 July 2027, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. At noon, the dice will be cast.