AFCON Qualifiers: Football Groups, Fixtures and the Road to East Africa 2027

The AFCON qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations are 12 groups of four teams, drawn in Cairo on 19 May 2026, and the top two qualify from groups without a host; only the highest placed non host qualifies from each host group. In Groups D, H and L, where Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania already hold places as hosts, only the best placed non host team joins them. That one rule shapes the road for Bafana Bafana and the Super Eagles more than any opponent, and South African readers who know the game as soccer will find their route set out here beside everyone else's.

Each team meets its three group opponents at home and away, making six matches per nation. Nine groups provide two qualifiers apiece, while Groups D, H and L provide one non host qualifier each. Those 21 qualifiers join Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania at the finals.

Which AFCON Qualifying Groups Are Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda In?

Nigeria are in Group L, Ghana in Group C, South Africa and Kenya share Group D, and Uganda are in Group H. Those placings came out of the draw in Cairo on 19 May 2026, which split 48 nations into 12 groups of four, lettered A to L, with every team playing six matches home and away. For a reader in any of the five countries, that means one home game and one away game against each of three opponents, so every group is really three small rivalries running side by side from September 2026 to March 2027.

The four groups that matter most to our readers are worth setting out in full. Group C is Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia, while Group D is South Africa, Guinea, Kenya and Eritrea. Group H brings together Tunisia, Uganda, Libya and Botswana, and Group L is Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau. Three of those four groups contain a host nation, which is why the table below lists the host in each one and the number of places left over for everybody else in the group.

In my opinion, the draw was generous to the neighbourly story and demanding on the arithmetic. Kenya and South Africa in the same group gives Nairobi and Johannesburg a fixture with real pull, yet it also means Bafana Bafana are chasing a single place rather than two. Ghana are the only one of the five competing for qualification in a group with two open slots, a detail Accra will mention to Lagos more than once before March. So, before reading any table, check first whether your group contains a host, because that changes what second place is worth.

Who Qualifies From the AFCON Qualifiers, and How Does the Host Rule Change the Maths?

The top two teams in each of the 12 groups qualify for the finals, with one adjustment in the three groups that contain a host. In Groups D, H and L, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are already through, so only the best placed non host team in each of those groups goes with them. Do the sums and it adds up neatly, because nine ordinary groups send 18 teams, the three host groups send three more non hosts, and the three hosts complete the 24 places at the finals.

The host rule changes how you read the table more than anything else in the competition. A non host side can finish second in Group D, H or L and still miss out if another non host finishes first: only the highest placed non host qualifies alongside the host's automatic place. Equally, a side can finish behind the host and qualify, as long as no other non host sits above them. So, in those three groups, look past the second place line and read only where your team stands against the other non hosts.

Check the published competition tie breakers when teams are level on points. In Groups D, H and L, compare the non host teams with one another to identify which occupies the qualifying position.

When Are the AFCON Qualifier Matchdays?

The group stage of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers has three scheduled international windows: 21 September to 6 October 2026, 9 to 17 November 2026 and 22 to 30 March 2027. Consult the fixtures for the dates assigned to individual matches.

When comparing teams during the November window, read matches played alongside points. Teams with different numbers of completed fixtures have different opportunities remaining: subtract matches played from six to find the remaining games, then multiply by three to calculate the points still available. Use that calculation alongside the qualifying rule for the group.

The final scheduled group stage window is 22 to 30 March 2027. Before the group stage came a preliminary round in March 2026, when the 12 lowest ranked members played two leg ties and six advanced, so a handful of teams in Groups A to L have already won a knockout tie simply to be there.

How Do You Read the AFCON Qualifiers Table, Fixtures and Results?

The live numbers sit in the modules above this guide and update after every match, so the quickest way to follow the campaign is to read them in order. The Afcon Qualifiers table shows all 12 groups, one block each, with matches played, wins, draws, defeats, goals and points. In South Africa, the table is also called the log. Read the goals scored and goals conceded columns together to see how each team's goal difference is calculated.

The Afcon Qualifiers fixtures list every remaining match window by window, with the date, the kick off time and the venue once it is confirmed. Read the venue closely in the host groups, because a home game for Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania is also a rehearsal of the stadiums and crowds the finals will bring. Each line also carries the where to watch listing for your country, drawn from the broadcast data for that match.

The Afcon Qualifiers results run newest first, with the scorers under each score, and they are the place to check how a head to head inside your group has gone. My advice is to read a result next to the table rather than on its own. A draw away to your direct rival for a single place can matter far more than the scoreline suggests, and the table is where that becomes visible.

Who Scores in the AFCON Qualifiers, and Where Do the Players Come From?

The Afcon Qualifiers stats module keeps the scoring charts and individual numbers for the whole campaign, group by group and across all 48 nations. Because each team plays only six matches, a scorer's tally moves quickly, and a striker who finds a rhythm in one window can sit near the top of the chart for months. Read the minutes played beside the goals, since squads change between windows and not every player is available for every round.

Many of the players in these groups play their club football in England, Spain, France and Italy, so the qualifiers land in the middle of the international break news cycle in those leagues. That is why the Super Eagles, the Black Stars and Bafana Bafana fill the conversation during each window, with the same names followed for their clubs one weekend and for their countries a few days later. Home based players matter too, and in my opinion the squads that blend the two tend to travel best.

Our Afcon Qualifiers predictions attach a probability to each match call, include a reference price and publish unsuccessful selections beside successful ones. Assess those views against the group standings and recorded results: for African nations pursuing a single qualifying berth, the significance of a direct meeting reaches beyond its numerical assessment.

What Time Do AFCON Qualifiers Kick Off in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and South Africa?

For Ghana supporters, use GMT; Nigeria follows WAT, South Africa uses SAST, and Kenya and Uganda follow EAT. A 16:00 GMT fixture therefore reads 17:00 WAT, 18:00 SAST and 19:00 EAT. These offsets remain unchanged across the September, November and March qualifying windows.

An evening start in East Africa can suit audiences further west: 19:00 EAT converts to 17:00 WAT, 18:00 SAST and 16:00 GMT. Use the zone labels beside the fixture when arranging a viewing centre visit in Lagos or a gathering in Accra.

Consult the confirmed time for each fixture separately, including when following several games within one international window. Recheck the listing before making viewing plans, as the scheduled time or venue may be updated.

Where Can You Watch the AFCON Qualifiers in Africa?

Where to watch is listed under each fixture for your own country, because broadcast rights for national team qualifiers can differ from one match and one market to the next. In South Africa, free to air television carries a large audience for Bafana Bafana. In Nigeria, the Super Eagles are followed on pay TV, in packed viewing centres and through sports radio in Lagos and Abuja, with WhatsApp channels and X keeping everyone updated between kick offs.

In Nairobi and Kampala, the Harambee Stars and the Cranes draw crowds to bars, to national television and to mobile streams on the way home, and host status adds a festival feel to the build up. Accra and Kumasi follow the Black Stars on television, radio and phones, and the Côte d'Ivoire meetings are the ones that fill every screen in town. Check the listing under each fixture for the current details rather than relying on memory, as rights can change between windows.

Why Do Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania Play the Qualifiers When They Are Already In?

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania play the qualifiers because they were drawn into groups like every other nation, even though their places at the finals are already secure. Groups D, H and L each provide one qualifying place for the highest placed non host. For the hosts themselves, six competitive games offer preparation before a home tournament.

Competitive football is hard to recreate in friendlies, and playing real matches against sides such as Guinea, Tunisia and Nigeria is the kind of test a host needs. It lets the Harambee Stars and the Cranes settle on a squad under genuine pressure while giving home crowds an early taste of what June 2027 will feel like. In my opinion, a host that treats these games as a dress rehearsal arrives at its own tournament sharper than one that waits for the finals to begin.

The co hosted tournament carries the name AFCON Pamoja 2027, pamoja being the Swahili word for together, and the qualifiers are where that idea first becomes visible on the pitch. Pride plays its part as well. No supporter in Nairobi, Kampala or Dar es Salaam wants the party to start without a good home result to toast, so these matches are followed with a seriousness the qualification maths alone would not explain.

What Is at Stake: How Many Places Are There at AFCON 2027?

Twenty four places at the 36th Africa Cup of Nations are at stake, for a finals played in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027. For the 2027 finals, three hosts share the tournament, and the matches are spread across 10 venues, including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Zanzibar, Nairobi, Hoima, Kampala and Lira.

For a Ugandan fan, Hoima and Lira mean the finals reach well beyond the capital, and the build up in Kampala will run through every qualifier. For fans in Lagos, Accra and Johannesburg, the stakes are plainer, because the choice is between a trip to East Africa in June and watching the tournament from home. That is why a single qualifier in March 2027 can carry the weight of an entire year of football.

What Does Each Nation Need: Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda?

Nigeria need to finish as the best placed non host in Group L, ahead of Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, since Tanzania already hold the host place. The Super Eagles must compare their position with those two non host rivals to judge their qualification prospects. Champions in 1980, 1994 and 2013, Nigeria bring the pedigree, and what turns pedigree into a place is consistency away from home across all six matches.

Ghana need a top two finish in Group C, and they are the only one of the five nations competing for qualification in a group with two open slots. Côte d'Ivoire are the headline opponents, and in my opinion the meetings between the two decide the group as well as being the West African fixtures Accra and Kumasi plan their calendars around. The Gambia and Somalia complete the group, and the Black Stars' route is steady results in every game, so the Ivorian matches settle the order rather than the outcome.

South Africa need to finish as the best placed non host in Group D, which in practice is a direct race with Guinea, with Eritrea also in the group and Kenya present as host. Bafana Bafana won the title once, in 1996, as hosts themselves, so they understand the value of a home tournament from the other side. South Africa also shows the biggest search interest of our five markets in these qualifiers, and the Guinea fixtures are the ones to circle.

Kenya need nothing from Group D in terms of qualification, because the Harambee Stars are already through as joint hosts. What they can gain is a settled side, competitive minutes against South Africa and Guinea, and a Nairobi crowd that builds match by match towards June. South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea contest the group's single non host place, giving their supporters a reason to follow Group D closely.

Uganda are in the same position in Group H, already qualified as joint hosts, with Tunisia, Libya and Botswana contesting the one non host place. For the Cranes, the qualifiers offer a run of matches against North African opposition and a southern African neighbour before a tournament that comes to Kampala, Hoima and Lira. In my opinion, the best measure of their campaign is less the table and more how ready the squad looks when the March 2027 window closes.

Who Has Won the Africa Cup of Nations, and Which Records Stand?

Egypt are the record champions with seven titles, and that figure is the benchmark every qualifying campaign is ultimately measured against. Ghana have four, won in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982, and Nigeria have three, from 1980, 1994 and 2013. South Africa's single title came in 1996, when they also hosted the tournament, which makes them the one nation among our five with first hand experience of winning it at home.

For Ghana supporters, the Ghana record is a point of pride with a long wait attached, since the most recent of those four titles came in 1982. What would end that wait is what wins any qualifying group in the first place: depth across six games, followed by a squad that holds together through a month of tournament football in June and July.

The hosting thread runs through the history too. South Africa won at home in 1996, and the 2019 tournament in Egypt was the first with 24 teams. For Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the 2027 finals are a chance to write a home chapter of their own, and the qualifiers are where the preparation for it is done in public.

How Has the AFCON Qualifying Format Changed?

The biggest change to AFCON qualifying came with the expansion of the finals from 16 to 24 teams from the 2019 tournament in Egypt. More places at the finals meant more places on offer in qualifying. For 2027, the top two qualify from groups without a host; only the highest placed non host qualifies from each host group.

The 2027 campaign also opened with a preliminary round. All 54 CAF members entered, the 12 lowest ranked sides played two leg ties in March 2026, and the six winners joined the group stage to make 48 nations. That means even the smallest football countries play competitive matches, and a team that comes through the preliminary round carries a momentum into its group that no draw can hand out.

Hosts complicate the arithmetic, and with three of them placed in three different groups, the 2027 qualifiers show that more clearly than most. So, before each window, open the table, find your group, check whether it contains a host, and count the gap between your team and its nearest rival for the place that actually matters.