AFCON 2027 Qualifiers Kick Off Next Month — Here’s What’s at Stake

The road to AFCON 2027 begins in earnest on September 23, when qualifying Matchday 1 kicks off across the continent. Forty-eight nations are chasing 21 remaining spots at next year’s tournament — the first-ever AFCON co-hosted by three nations, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, who’ve already secured automatic qualification as hosts.

Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Cameroon, DR Congo, Mali, South Africa and Burkina Faso headline Pot 1 as top seeds, while defending champions Ivory Coast were drawn into a tricky Group C alongside Ghana, Gambia and Somalia. The qualifying campaign runs across three international windows through March 2027, before the tournament itself kicks off next June in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and Kampala. CAF president Patrice Motsepe has already had to publicly shut down postponement rumours, insisting the “Pamoja” project remains firmly on track.

Dr. Emelda Ntinglet

Dr. Emelda Ntinglet is a Cameroonian-American educator, author, information technology professional, and humanitarian entrepreneur based in Maryland, United States. She holds a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Organizational Leadership, with a concentration in Instructional Technologies and Higher Education Leadership, from Nova Southeastern University, which she completed in 2013.

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