2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Matchday 1 & 2 fixtures, kick-off times and venues confirmed

Ghana will begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a difficult away trip to Côte d’Ivoire as the race for places at next year's tournament gets under way.

The Black Stars will face the Elephants in Bouaké on 24 September, with both sides among the 48 nations beginning their six-match qualifying campaigns.

The opening two rounds of matches will be played between 24 September and 6 October 2026, with the teams divided into 12 groups of four.

Ghana will then return home to face The Gambia on 29 September as they look to make an early push for qualification.

There are several other notable fixtures in the opening round, with Morocco hosting Gabon at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdallah, while seven-time champions Egypt entertain Angola at Cairo International Stadium.

Algeria will take on Zambia at the Stade Hocine Aït Ahmed in Tizi-Ouzou, while Senegal host Mozambique and Mali face Cape Verde.

The second round begins on 28 September, with Central African Republic hosting Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea taking on Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe facing DR Congo.

On 29 September, Morocco travel to Lesotho, Algeria visit Burundi, Mozambique host Sudan and Senegal face Ethiopia.

The qualifiers will be played on a home-and-away basis across six matchdays.

After the opening two rounds, the competition will resume during the FIFA international window from 9 to 17 November 2026, before the final two rounds are played between 22 and 30 March 2027.

The teams that finish first and second in groups without a co-host will qualify for the finals.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are already guaranteed places at the tournament as co-hosts. They have been drawn in Groups D, H and L respectively, with the highest-ranked other team in each of those groups earning the qualifying place.

The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 finals will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027.

The tournament will mark the return of the Africa Cup of Nations to East Africa for the first time in more than five decades.

Matchday 1 fixtures
Group A

• Morocco v Gabon – 25 September, 19:00
• Niger v Lesotho – 25 September, 15:00

Group B

• Egypt v Angola – 25 September, 19:00
• Malawi v South Sudan – 25 September, 16:00

Group C

• Côte d’Ivoire v Ghana – 24 September, 19:00
• The Gambia v Somalia – 25 September, 16:00

Group D

• South Africa v Guinea – 26 September, 16:00
• Kenya v Eritrea – 26 September, 13:00

Group E

• DR Congo v Equatorial Guinea – 24 September, 16:00
• Sierra Leone v Zimbabwe – 24 September, 19:00

Group F

• Burkina Faso v Benin – 25 September, 19:00
• Mauritania v Central African Republic – 24 September, 16:00

Group G

• Cameroon v Comoros – 24 September, 19:00
• Namibia v Congo – 24 September, 13:00

Group H

• Tunisia v Uganda – 24 September, 19:00
• Libya v Botswana – 24 September, 16:00

Group I

• Algeria v Zambia – 25 September, 19:00
• Togo v Burundi – 25 September, 16:00

Group J

• Senegal v Mozambique – 25 September, 19:00
• Sudan v Ethiopia – 25 September, 16:00

Group K

• Mali v Cape Verde – 25 September, 19:00
• Rwanda v Liberia – 25 September, 16:00

Group L

• Nigeria v Madagascar – 25 September, 16:00
• Tanzania v Guinea-Bissau – 25 September, 13:00

Matchday 2 fixtures
Group A

• Gabon v Niger – 29 September, 19:00
• Lesotho v Morocco – 29 September, 13:00

Group B

• Angola v Malawi – 6 October, 19:00
• South Sudan v Egypt – 29 September, 13:00

Group C

• Ghana v The Gambia – 29 September, 16:00
• Somalia v Côte d’Ivoire – 29 September, 19:00

Group D

• Guinea v Kenya – 1 October, 16:00
• Eritrea v South Africa – 30 September, 16:00

Group E

• Equatorial Guinea v Sierra Leone – 28 September, 16:00
• Zimbabwe v DR Congo – 28 September, 16:00

Group F

• Benin v Mauritania – 29 September, 19:00
• Central African Republic v Burkina Faso – 28 September, 16:00

Group G

• Comoros v Namibia – 29 September, 11:00
• Congo v Cameroon – 29 September, 19:00

Group H

• Uganda v Libya – 29 September, 16:00
• Botswana v Tunisia – 28 September, 19:00

Group I

• Zambia v Togo – 29 September, 16:00
• Burundi v Algeria – 29 September, 13:00

Group J

• Mozambique v Sudan – 29 September, 13:00
• Ethiopia v Senegal – 29 September, 13:00

Group K

• Cape Verde v Rwanda – 29 September, 16:00
• Liberia v Mali – 29 September, 19:00

Group L

• Madagascar v Tanzania – 29 September, 13:00
• Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria – 29 September, 16:00