The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the dates and times for Matchdays 1 and 2 of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
According to CAF, Matchdays 1 and 2 will be played between September 24 and October 6, 2026, with the opening group-stage qualifiers featuring 12 groups.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are scheduled to host Madagascar on September 25, 2026, in their opening Matchday 1 fixture.
The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA 2027 Matchdays 1 and 2 qualifiers will kick-start the journey of the 48 participating African nations towards next year’s tournament.
The second round of fixtures will begin on Monday, September 28, with the Super Eagles travelling away to face Guinea-Bissau four days after hosting Madagascar.
CAF further stated that 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 November 9 to 17, 2026, before the final two rounds are played between March 22 and 30, 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 group as each host nation will qualify for the finals.
The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 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, 19:00), Niger v Lesotho (25/09, 15:00)
Group B: Egypt v Angola (25/09, 19:00), Malawi v South Sudan (25/09, 16:00)
Group C: Côte d’Ivoire v Ghana (24/09, 19:00), Gambia v Somalia (25/09, 16:00)
Group D: South Africa v Guinea (26/09, 16:00), Kenya v Eritrea (26/09, 13:00)
Group E: DR Congo v Equatorial Guinea (24/09, 16:00), Sierra Leone v Zimbabwe (24/09, 19:00)
Group F: Burkina Faso v Benin (25/09, 19:00), Mauritania v Central African Republic (24/09, 16:00)
Group G: Cameroon v Comoros (24/09, 19:00), Namibia v Congo (24/09, 13:00)
Group H: Tunisia v Uganda (24/09, 19:00), Libya v Botswana (24/09, 16:00)
Group I: Algeria v Zambia (25/09, 19:00), Togo v Burundi (25/09, 16:00)
Group J: Senegal v Mozambique (25/09, 19:00), Sudan v Ethiopia (25/09, 16:00)
Group K: Mali v Cape Verde (25/09, 19:00), Rwanda v Liberia (25/09, 16:00)
Group L: Nigeria v Madagascar (25/09, 16:00), Tanzania v Guinea-Bissau (25/09, 13:00)
MATCHDAY 2 FIXTURES (ALL TIMES IN GMT)
Group A: Gabon v Niger (29/09, 19:00), Lesotho v Morocco (29/09, 13:00)
Group B: Angola v Malawi (06/10, 19:00), South Sudan v Egypt (29/09, 13:00)
Group C: Ghana v Gambia (29/09, 16:00), Somalia v Côte d’Ivoire (29/09, 19:00)
Group D: Guinea v Kenya (01/10, 16:00), Eritrea v South Africa (30/09, 16:00)
Group E: Equatorial Guinea v Sierra Leone (28/09, 16:00), Zimbabwe v DR Congo (28/09, 16:00)
Group F: Benin v Mauritania (29/09, 19:00), Central African Republic v Burkina Faso (28/09, 16:00)
Group G: Comoros v Namibia (29/09, 11:00), Congo v Cameroon (29/09, 19:00)
Group H: Uganda v Libya (29/09, 16:00), Botswana v Tunisia (28/09, 19:00)
Group I: Zambia v Togo (29/09, 16:00), Burundi v Algeria (29/09, 13:00)
Group J: Mozambique v Sudan (29/09, 13:00), Ethiopia v Senegal (29/09, 13:00)
Group K: Cape Verde v Rwanda (29/09, 16:00), Liberia v Mali (29/09, 19:00)
Group L: Madagascar v Tanzania (29/09, 13:00), Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria (29/09, 16:00)I can also make the headline **more punchy/SEO-friendly** for NaijaRadar while keeping it professional.
