The Confederation of African Football will conduct the qualifying draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt, as teams begin their journey to the continental tournament.
CAF said 48 countries, including hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will take part in the qualifiers for the competition tagged “AFCON PAMOJA 2027.”
The 2027 edition will be historic because it will be the first Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by three countries. The tournament is scheduled to run from 19th June to 17th July, 2027.
In a statement released ahead of the draw, CAF said, “On Tuesday afternoon in Cairo, 48 nations will learn their route to the finals of a tournament already carrying enormous significance long before a ball is kicked.”
CAF added that the draw “officially launches the next phase of the journey towards a tournament CAF hopes will unite an entire region under the spirit of ‘PAMOJA’ — the Swahili word for ‘together.’”
According to the African football body, the 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group qualifying automatically for the tournament.
However, because the three East African nations have already qualified automatically as hosts, only one additional team will advance from each of their groups.
CAF said the qualifiers will be played during three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027. Matchdays one and two are scheduled for September and October 2026, while the final qualification games will take place in March 2027.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are expected to be among the top-seeded teams in the draw as they seek another appearance at Africa’s biggest football tournament.
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