CAN 2027: Key dates set, the countdown begins

The Confederation of African Football has officially announced the dates for the qualifiers of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place from September 2026 to March 2027. All participating national teams now know their qualification path to the tournament’s final stage.

Qualifying dates revealed

CAN 2027 will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The tournament is scheduled from June 19 to July 17, 2027, with matches set in Nairobi, Kakamega, and Eldoret in Kenya; Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Arusha, and Zanzibar in Tanzania; Kampala, Lira, and Hoima in Uganda.

The opening two matchdays are slated for September 23-25 and September 27-29. The third and fourth matchdays are scheduled for November 11-13 and November 15-17, respectively.

The final two matchdays will take place during the international break from March 22 to 30 and will be decisive in determining the last teams to qualify for the tournament.

48 teams battle for 24 spots

The 48 participating teams will be divided into 12 groups of four. The top two from each group will automatically qualify for the final phase. In total, 24 teams will take part in the tournament. Groups D, H, and L each feature a host nation, so only one additional qualifying spot will be available in those groups.

Here’s a reminder of the different groups:

Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho

Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan

Group C: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Gambia, Somalia

Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea

Group E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe

Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic

Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo

Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana

Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi

Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia

Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia

Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau

Côte d’Ivoire – Ghana, Cameroon – Comoros... major clashes await

While some teams, such as Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia have landed in relatively favorable groups, other heavyweights will have to fight hard to secure their places.

Take Côte d’Ivoire for instance—they’ll have to contend with Ghana, while Cameroon will renew rivalries with Comoros. Mali faces Cape Verde, the surprise package of the 2026 World Cup, and Morocco will test themselves against Gabon. Expect some thrilling matchups ahead.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

Related teams and leagues

Senegal

African Nations Championship