The race for jin88bet.one the 24 places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is under way, with Morocco and DR Congo among the sides to have made perfect starts after the opening two rounds.
Cote d’Ivoire and Ga ak168app.baby mbia, along with Mali and Rwanda, have already opened up a six-point advantage over third place in their respective groups. Ghana and Cape Verde, however, have lost both matches and are already six points off a qualifying position.
There are still four rounds to play, in November 2026 and March 2027, meaning the standings can change signifi ks168app.site cantly before the qualifiers are completed.
The finals will be held from 19 June to 17 July 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The three countries were appointed as co-host ic88 s, despite persistent rumours that the tournament could be moved to another country.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania qualify automatically as hosts. They are nevertheless taking part in the qualifying competition so they can play official matches in their respective groups.
A total of 48 teams are competing in the group phase, divided into 12 groups of four. Bef ic88 ore that stage, a preliminary round involved 12 of the lowest-ranked nations. The six winners joined the 42 teams admitted directly to the group stage.
Each group is contested as a mini-league, with teams playing one another home and away. Every side therefore plays six matches, three at home and three away.
In the nine groups wit ic88 hout a host nation – groups A, B, C, E, F, G, I, J and K – the top two teams qualify for the 2027 finals.
The presence of the three hosts changes the number of qualifying pla lr88 ces in their groups. Kenya are in Group D with South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea. Uganda are in Group H alongside Tunisia, Libya and Botswana, while Tanzania are in Group L with Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-B lr88 issau.
Because the host nations are already guaranteed a place, only one additional team can quali lr88 fy from each of those three groups. The highest-placed team among the three nations other than the host will adv lr88 ance. Results against the host country are expected to count in the standings, contrary to some earlier rumours.
Teams are ranked first by points: three for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. A team can therefore collect a maximum of 18 points across op88 the six matchdays.
If two teams finish level, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) first uses their head-to-head record. The criteria are points gained in those matches, goal difference, goals scored and away goals.
When more than two tea si88 ms are tied, the head-to-head criteria are 88v initially applied across all the teams involved. If two remain level, those criteria are then recalculated using only their matches against each other. If that does not separate them, overall goal difference, total g SEXXXXX-VN oals scored and away goals across the group are considered. A draw conducted by CAF is the final method of separation.
