2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Black Stars draw Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia and Somalia in tough Group C

Ghana’s Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia and Somalia in the qualifying campaign for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Pamoja edition.

The four-time African champions face a demanding path back to the continental stage after missing out on the 2025 tournament in Morocco, a setback that has intensified pressure on the national team to respond strongly.

The qualifiers for the expanded 48-team competition, which will be staged across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will see teams divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group advancing to the finals.

Match action is set to begin in the FIFA international window from September 21 to October 6, 2026, with Matchdays 3 and 4 scheduled for November 9 to 17, 2026. The campaign will conclude with the final two rounds between March 22 and 30, 2027, when the full list of qualified nations will be confirmed.

With home-and-away fixtures spread across several months, consistency, away form and goal difference are expected to be decisive factors in the race for qualification.

Ghana are likely to face their sternest tests against Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia, while Somalia are widely viewed as the group outsiders.

For the Black Stars, the task goes beyond simply booking a place at AFCON. It is also about restoring confidence after a difficult run of performances that has tested patience among supporters.

If qualification is secured, attention will quickly shift to ending a 40-year wait for continental glory, with Ghana’s last AFCON triumph dating back to 1982.