By Samuel Akpan
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) held the official draw in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday, setting the stage for the qualification campaign ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania under the “PAMOJA 2027” banner.
Persecondnews reports that CAF drew 48 nations into 12 groups of four teams. Only the top teams in each group will advance to the finals set for June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Nigeria enters the campaign as one of Africa’s top-seeded teams, aiming to secure qualification on the heels of their bronze-medal finish at the 2025 AFCON, where the Super Eagles edged out Egypt on penalties to claim third place.
Meanwhile, Tanzania’s inclusion in Group L introduces an interesting dynamic.
Although the East African nation has already guaranteed its spot in the finals as a tournament co-host, CAF regulations dictate that host nations must still participate in the qualification stages.
The full list of groups from the draw is as follows:
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger Republic, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Somalia, Gambia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Eritrea, Kenya
Group E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo
Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J: Senegal, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Sudan
Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania
CAF said qualifying matches will be spread across multiple FIFA international windows starting later this year.
The 2027 edition will be the first AFCON in East Africa in over 50 years and the first to be jointly hosted by three countries in the region.
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