The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations begins this week, with the preliminary qualification round getting under way across multiple venues on the continent.
The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will see its first competitive action as lower-ranked nations attempt to secure a place in the next stage of qualification.
Among the teams involved in the opening round are Eswatini, Seychelles, Lesotho and Mauritius, with two-legged ties scheduled over the coming days.
One of the standout fixtures sees Eswatini take on Eritrea, with the first leg set to be played in Meknes, Morocco, before the return match in Lobamba.
The tie offers Eswatini another opportunity to move closer to a historic first appearance at the continental finals, having fallen short in previous campaigns.
Despite a modest overall record in qualifiers, Eswatini have shown signs of progress in recent years.
Victories over Zimbabwe and Madagascar in African Nations Championship qualifiers, along with draws against Cameroon and Angola in World Cup qualifying, suggest a team gradually improving and capable of competing at a higher level.
Lesotho, meanwhile, enter the preliminary round as the highest-ranked side and arguably the form team among those involved. They produced a series of strong results in recent World Cup qualifiers, including a draw away to Nigeria, a victory over Zimbabwe and another draw on the road in Rwanda.
Those performances underline their growing competitiveness, although qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations has remained elusive. Lesotho have yet to reach the finals despite multiple attempts, and will be looking to change that narrative in this campaign.
They face Seychelles in a COSAFA clash, with both legs taking place in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Seychelles, among the lowest-ranked teams in the draw, have struggled historically in qualification, with limited success in past campaigns.
Elsewhere, Mauritius begin their campaign against Somalia in a tie that presents an element of uncertainty, as the two sides have not previously met.
Mauritius will take encouragement from a recent draw against Libya in World Cup qualifying, a result that highlighted their ability to compete against stronger opposition.
The preliminary round also includes fixtures involving Djibouti and South Sudan, Chad and Burundi, as well as Sao Tome and Principe against Ethiopia, reflecting the broad geographical spread of teams seeking progression.
For many of these nations, the preliminary round represents both an opportunity and a challenge.
Advancement would bring them closer to the group stage of qualification, while also offering valuable competitive experience on the continental stage.
As the first matches kick off, the focus will be on which teams can seize the moment and take a decisive step forward in their quest to reach the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
