By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA 2027 Match Day 1 and 2 Qualifiers will kick-off the journey of the 48 African Nations to the Finale of the Tournament next year.
The opening group stage qualifiers will feature 12 Groups, with matches scheduled between 24 September and 6 October 2026.
Several high-profile encounters will provide an exciting start to the qualifying campaign, including a heavyweight West African meeting between former African champions Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, while Morocco host Gabon at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdallah.
Record seven-time African champions Egypt welcome Angola to Cairo International Stadium, while Algeria face Zambia at the Stade Hocine Aït Ahmed in Tizi-Ouzou.
The second round of fixtures begin on Monday, 28 September, with Central African Republic hosting Burkina Faso, alongside Equatorial Guinea against Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe against DR Congo and Botswana against Tunisia.
Tuesday, 29 September will kick-off another packed programme for round 2.
Lesotho host Morocco, while Burundi face Algeria at Stade Intwari, Mozambique welcome Sudan to the Estádio Nacional do Zimpeto and Ethiopia host Senegal at Bahir Dar National Stadium.
The qualifiers will be contested on a home-and-away basis across six matchdays, with the 48 participating nations divided into 12 groups of four.
Following Matchdays 1 and 2, the qualifying campaign will resume during the FIFA international window from 9-17 November 2026, before the final two rounds are played between 22-30 March 2027.
The teams finishing first and second in groups that do not contain a co-host will qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 finals.
Co-hosts Kenya (Group D), Uganda (Group H) and Tanzania (Group L) are automatically qualified irrespective of their results. The highest placed team in the same pool as the hosts will qualify for the finals.
The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027, bringing Africa’s flagship football competition back to East Africa for the first time in more than five decades.
MATCHDAY 1 FIXTURES (ALL TIMES IN GMT)
Group A: Morocco v Gabon (25/09, 19h00), Niger v Lesotho (25/09, 15h00).
Group B: Egypt v Angola (25/09, 19h00), Malawi v South Sudan (25/09, 16h00).
Group C: Côte d’Ivoire v Ghana (24/09, 19h00), Gambia v Somalia (25/09, 16h00).
Group D: South Africa v Guinea (26/09, 16h00), Kenya v Eritrea (26/09, 13h00).
Group E: DR Congo v E Guinea (24/09, 16h00), Sierra Leone v Zimbabwe (24/09, 19h00).
Group F: Burkina Faso v Benin (25/09, 19h00), Mauritania v CAR (24/09, 16h00).
Group G: Cameroon v Comoros (24/09, 19h00), Namibia v Congo (24/09, 13h00).
Group H: Tunisia v Uganda (24/09, 19h00), Libya v Botswana (24/09, 16h00).
Group I: Algeria v Zambia (25/09, 19h00), Togo v Burundi (25/09, 16h00).
Group J: Senegal v Mozambique (25/09, 19h00), Sudan v Ethiopia (25/09, 16h00).
Group K: Mali v Cape Verde (25/09, 19h00), Rwanda v Liberia (25/09, 16h00).
Group L: Nigeria v Madagascar (25/09, 16h00), Tanzania v Guinea-Bissau (25/09, 13h00).
MATCHDAY 2 FIXTURES (ALL TIMES IN GMT)
Group A: Gabon v Niger (29/09, 19h00), Lesotho v Morocco (29/09, 13h00).
Group B: Angola v Malawi (06/10, 19h00), South Sudan v Egypt (29/09, 13h00).
Group C: Ghana v Gambia (29/09, 16h00), Somalia v Côte d’Ivoire (29/09, 19h00).
Group D: Guinea v Kenya (01/10, 16h00), Eritrea v South Africa (30/09, 16h00).
Group E: E Guinea v Sierra Leone (28/09, 16h00), Zimbabwe v DR Congo (28/09, 16h00).
Group F: Benin v Mauritania (29/09, 19h00), CAR v Burkina Faso (28/09, 16h00).
Group G: Comoros v Namibia (29/09, 11h00), Congo v Cameroon (29/09, 19h00)
Group H: Uganda v Libya (29/09, 16h00), Botswana v Tunisia (28/09, 19h00).
Group I: Zambia v Togo (29/09, 16h00), Burundi v Algeria (29/09, 13h00).
Group J: Mozambique v Sudan (29/09, 13h00), Ethiopia v Senegal (29/09, 13h00).
Group K: Cape Verde v Rwanda (29/09, 16h00), Liberia v Mali (29/09, 19h00).
Group L: Madagascar v Tanzania (29/09, 13h00), Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria (29/09, 16h00).
