CAN U23: these 14 nations are exempt from the first round

Divided into two pots, they will go straight into the second round of the continental competition qualifiers

Africa Today at 06:22

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CAN U23: these 14 nations are exempt from the first round

Fourteen African national teams have been granted a bye for the first round of the 2027 U23 AFCON qualifiers and will learn the next step in their journey this Tuesday.

The draw for the qualifiers of the 2027 U23 AFCON will take place this Tuesday, August 25 in Egypt, starting at 3:00 p.m. local time, which is 1:00 p.m. in Algeria. Out of the 42 participating nations, 28 will begin their campaign in the first round, while 14 teams are exempt from this stage.

The 14 nations directly qualified for the second round

These teams have been divided into two pots by CAF. Each will face one of the 14 winners from the first round.

Pot 4

Niger
Algeria
Cameroon
Congo
Gabon
Zambia
Senegal

Pot 5

Morocco
Mali
Ghana
South Africa
Ivory Coast
Nigeria
Guinea

During the draw, each of the seven teams in Pot 4 will be paired with a winner from the first round. The same procedure will be applied for the Pot 5 teams. The 14 winners from the second round will then advance to the third and final round, which will allocate seven spots for the final tournament.

Host nation Egypt is automatically qualified. Egypt will welcome the seven winners from the final round to complete the eight-team lineup for the finals.

Two African slots for the Olympic Games

The final stage of the 2027 U23 AFCON is scheduled for November 2027 in Egypt, though the exact dates have yet to be announced. The tournament will also serve as the African qualifying event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

FIFA has allocated two direct spots to Africa for the men's Olympic football tournament, which will feature 12 teams. However, CAF still needs to officially confirm the exact qualification mechanism through the 2027 U23 AFCON. The two finalists are expected to qualify for the 2028 Olympics, pending confirmation of the competition's regulations.