2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Matchday 2 set to intensify race to finals in East Africa

Following an exciting Matchday 1 in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations KE-TZ-UG 27 Group Stage Qualifiers, attention now shifts to the second round of fixtures, which got underway on Monday.

Matchday 1 produced 17 winners from 24 fixtures, with 63 goals scored, as Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Algeria, Mali, Nigeria, DR Congo, Zimbabwe and South Africa made positive starts.

• Group A

Morocco and Niger started well, with the Atlas Lions defeating Gabon 2-0 and Niger edging Lesotho 2-1. Matchday 2 sees Morocco travel to Lesotho, while Niger host Gabon.

• Group B

Malawi opened with a 2-1 victory over South Sudan, while Egypt and Angola shared the points following a goalless draw in Cairo. South Sudan now host Egypt on Tuesday, while Angola and Malawi will meet on 6 October in the group's remaining Matchday 2 fixture.

• Group C

Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia both collected maximum points, defeating Ghana and Somalia respectively. The second round sees Ghana host The Gambia before Somalia welcome Côte d’Ivoire.

• Group D

South Africa began with a 2-1 victory over Guinea, while co-hosts Kenya and Eritrea shared the points in a 1-1 draw. South Africa travel to neutral Egypt to play Eritrea on 30 September, before Guinea host Kenya the following day. With Kenya already qualified as co-hosts, the group carries an added dimension, with just one more side able to secure qualification.

• Group I

Algeria opened with a 3-1 victory over Zambia, while Togo edged Burundi 1-0. Algeria travel to Burundi on Tuesday, while Zambia host Togo on the same day.

• Group J

Sudan began with a narrow 1-0 victory over Ethiopia, while Senegal and Mozambique drew 1-1. Matchday 2 sees Sudan travel to Mozambique and Senegal visit Ethiopia, both on Tuesday.

• Group K

Mali and Rwanda both recorded 3-1 victories, defeating Cape Verde and Liberia respectively. Cape Verde host Rwanda in their second fixture on Tuesday and Liberia welcome Mali.

• Group L

Nigeria came from behind to defeat Madagascar 2-1, while Guinea-Bissau secured a 2-0 away victory over co-hosts Tanzania. Madagascar host Tanzania before Guinea-Bissau welcome Nigeria on Tuesday.

• TotalEnergies CAF AFCON KE-TZ-UG 27 Qualifiers Matchday 2 Fixtures:

Tuesday, 29 September 29, 2026

• Group A: Lesotho vs. Morocco (13:00 GMT)
• Group A: Gabon vs. Niger (19:00 GMT)
• Group B: South Sudan vs. Egypt (13:00 GMT)
• Group C: Ghana vs. Gambia (16:00 GMT)
• Group C: Somalia vs. Côte d'Ivoire (19:00 GMT)
• Group F: Benin vs. Mauritania (19:00 GMT)
• Group G: Comoros vs. Namibia (11:00 GMT)
• Group G: Congo vs. Cameroon (19:00 GMT)
• Group H: Uganda vs. Libya (16:00 GMT)
• Group I: Burundi vs. Algeria (13:00 GMT)
• Group I: Zambia vs. Togo (16:00 GMT)
• Group J: Mozambique vs. Sudan (13:00 GMT)
• Group J: Ethiopia vs. Senegal (13:00 GMT)
• Group K: Cape Verde vs. Rwanda (16:00 GMT)
• Group K: Liberia vs. Mali (19:00 GMT)
• Group L: Madagascar vs. Tanzania (13:00 GMT)
• Group L: Guinea-Bissau vs. Nigeria (16:00 GMT)