The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations enters a decisive phase this week as 48 national teams begin the group stage of qualification for the continental championship.
CAF confirmed on Monday that Matchdays One and Two will run from September 24 to October 6, beginning a qualification battle for places at the tournament to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Twenty-four matches will be played across 12 groups between Thursday and Saturday during the opening round.
Among the standout fixtures is a heavyweight West African contest between Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in Bouaké.
Morocco will host Gabon in Rabat, Egypt face Angola in Cairo, while Algeria begin their campaign against Zambia in Tizi-Ouzou.
Nigeria will enter the competition against Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to Guinea-Bissau for its second fixture.
New Qualification Battle Begins
The opening matches come only months after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, giving African national teams little time to reset before another major qualification campaign.
For some countries, the September-October international window will also provide an opportunity to introduce younger players following the World Cup cycle.
The qualification format divides the participating nations into 12 groups.
Attention will be particularly strong around countries traditionally regarded among Africa’s major football nations, but the compressed international window means teams have limited preparation time between fixtures.
Ghana have already suffered personnel disruption, with forward Prince Adu Kwabena reported as a major doubt through injury, while Egypt have lost midfielder Hamdi Fathi from their camp.
Nigeria have similarly lost Victor Osimhen, prompting Eric Chelle to call up Taiwo Awoniyi.
With two competitive matches packed into the opening window, squad depth could prove important as teams attempt to establish an early position in their respective groups.
