The second round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will take place across Monday, September 28 and Tuesday, September 29, with several of the continent’s leading sides looking to strengthen their positions.
Senegal will be among the teams seeking a response after being held to a 1-1 draw by Mozambique in Patrick Vieira’s first match as manager.
The Lions of Teranga will face Ethiopia in their second qualifying fixture and will be looking to secure their first victory under Vieira.
The draw against Mozambique provided Senegal with one point from their opening match, leaving them with the task of producing a stronger result against Ethiopia.
Another fixture attracting attention will see Guinea-Bissau take on Nigeria in Group L.
The encounter is among the matches expected to draw significant interest during the second round of qualifying as both sides continue their campaigns.
Algeria will also be on the road when they travel to Burundi.
The Greens began their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Zambia and will now attempt to follow that result with another positive outcome away from home.
Their next opponents, Burundi, will provide Algeria with a different challenge as the qualifying campaign moves into its second round.
Morocco are another side scheduled to play away from home, with Lesotho awaiting them.
The fixture forms part of a busy second matchday involving several teams who will be looking to build momentum early in the qualification process.
Ivory Coast will also be away from home after making a winning start to their campaign.
The Elephants defeated Ghana 2-0 in their opening match and will travel to face Somalia in their second fixture.
One of the other notable matches will take place in Zambia, where the Chipolopolo will host Togo at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Tuesday, September 29.
The two teams enter the fixture from contrasting opening results.
Zambia suffered a 3-1 defeat against Algeria in their first qualifying match, while Togo began their campaign with a victory over Burundi in Lomé.
The Chipolopolo will therefore be looking to use home advantage to respond to their opening setback.
Togo, meanwhile, will arrive with confidence after collecting three points in their first match.
The Zambia-Togo fixture is one of the key matches on Tuesday as the two teams look to strengthen their positions in the qualifying campaign.
The second matchday will therefore provide several opportunities for teams to build on their opening results or recover from disappointing starts.
For Senegal, the focus will be on securing a victory against Ethiopia after the draw with Mozambique.
Algeria will attempt to maintain their momentum against Burundi after their convincing opening win, while Morocco will begin their latest away assignment against Lesotho.
Ivory Coast will also seek another positive result when they meet Somalia following their victory over Ghana.
Meanwhile, Zambia will have to respond quickly to their defeat by Algeria when they welcome Togo to Ndola.
The second round of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers will run from Monday, September 28 through Tuesday, September 29, with the results set to shape the early stages of the qualification race.
