The draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying phase was conducted on Monday, May 18, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt. The 48 participating teams were divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the final tournament, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Among the notable groups, Morocco, the 2022 World Cup semifinalist, was placed in Group B alongside Gabon, Central African Republic, and Lesotho. Senegal, the reigning AFCON champions (2021), headline Group L with DR Congo, Mauritania, and South Sudan. Algeria, winners in 2019, are in Group G with Equatorial Guinea, Togo, and Liberia.
Other seeded teams include Egypt (Group H with Botswana, Cape Verde, and Mauritius), Nigeria (Group D with Benin, Libya, and Rwanda), and Cameroon (Group F with Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Namibia). The qualification matches are scheduled to begin in September 2026 and conclude in November 2026.
The 2027 AFCON final tournament will feature 24 teams, an increase from the 16-team format used before 2019. The co-hosts—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—automatically qualify, leaving 21 spots to be determined through the qualifiers.
