AFCON 2027: 21 spots up for grabs, 3 countries already qualified — all you need to know

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The race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, has officially begun, with 48 countries battling for 21 available places at the tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

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The three East African countries will host the AFCON 2027 edition and have already secured automatic qualification, leaving the remaining nations to fight for the 21 spots still available.

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The qualification format also means that not every group will produce two qualifiers, making the race particularly significant for teams drawn alongside the three hosts.

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Here is everything to know about the AFCON 2027 qualifying process.

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1. 48 countries are competing for 21 places

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A total of 48 nations have been drawn into 12 groups of four teams.

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Each team will play six matches — home and away against the other three countries in its group.

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At the end of the qualifying campaign, 21 teams will join the three hosts to complete the 24-team AFCON 2027 lineup.

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2. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are already qualified

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As the three host nations, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have automatic places at AFCON 2027.

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Their participation does not depend on their performance in the qualifying groups.

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However, they will still compete in the qualifying campaign, creating a special situation in the three groups containing the hosts.

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3. How many teams qualify from each group?

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In the nine groups without a host nation, two teams will qualify.

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That means:

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• Group A — 2 qualifiers
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• Group B — 2 qualifiers
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• Group C — 2 qualifiers
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• Group E — 2 qualifiers
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• Group F — 2 qualifiers
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• Group G — 2 qualifiers
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• Group I — 2 qualifiers
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• Group J — 2 qualifiers
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• Group K — 2 qualifiers
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That produces 18 qualifiers.

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The remaining three places will come from the groups containing the host nations.

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4. Only one non-host team can qualify from the three host groups

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This is where the qualification race becomes different.

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The three host nations are spread across three groups:

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Group D

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• South Africa
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• Guinea
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• Kenya
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• Eritrea
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Group H

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• Tunisia
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• Uganda
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• Libya
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• Botswana
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Group L

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• Nigeria
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• Madagascar
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• Tanzania
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• Guinea-Bissau
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Because Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are already qualified as hosts, only one additional team can qualify from each of those groups.

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Therefore:

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• Group D produces one additional qualifier
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• Group H produces one additional qualifier
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• Group L produces one additional qualifier
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That gives the remaining three places needed to reach 21 qualifiers.

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5. Nigeria’s Group L is particularly important

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Nigeria have been drawn in Group L alongside Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau.

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Tanzania are already qualified as one of the hosts.

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As a result, Nigeria do not need to finish in a conventional top-two position to qualify.

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Instead, the Super Eagles must finish above Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau to take the group’s single available qualification place.

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This makes every point in Nigeria’s six matches potentially crucial.

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6. Who cannot qualify from the host groups?

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The three hosts cannot be eliminated from AFCON 2027 because they already have guaranteed places.

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However, the other teams in their groups are effectively competing for one qualification ticket.

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For example, in Group L, Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau are competing for the one available place alongside already-qualified Tanzania.

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The same principle applies to South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea in Group D, and Tunisia, Libya and Botswana in Group H.

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7. What happens in the other nine groups?

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The qualification process is more straightforward in the other groups.

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The top two teams after the six group matches will qualify for AFCON 2027.

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There is therefore little room for error, with teams needing to accumulate enough points to finish inside the top two.

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8. Full list of the 12 qualifying groups

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Group A

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Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho

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Group B

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Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan

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Group C

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Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia

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Group D

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South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea

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Group E

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DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe

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Group F

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Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic

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Group G

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Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo

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Group H

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Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana

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Group I

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Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi

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Group J

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Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia

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Group K

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Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia

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Group L

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Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau

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9. When will the qualifiers be played?

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The qualifying campaign is scheduled across three international windows.

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The first two matchdays are being played in September and October 2026, followed by further fixtures in November 2026 and the final two matchdays in March 2027.

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By the end of Matchday 6, all 21 remaining AFCON places will have been decided.

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10. When is AFCON 2027?

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The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July, 2027.

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The tournament will feature 24 teams, consisting of the three automatic qualifiers and the 21 countries that emerge from the qualifying campaign.

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The competition will bring together the continent’s leading national teams for the first AFCON edition to be jointly hosted by the three East African countries.

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