The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the schedule for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with 48 national teams set to compete for places at the tournament in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The qualification campaign will be played over six matchdays between September 2026 and March 2027, with the top two teams from each of the 12 groups progressing to the finals.
The 2027 tournament will be the first Africa Cup of Nations to be jointly hosted by three East African countries, with matches scheduled across seven cities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Qualifying will begin in September during the FIFA international window.
The opening round, Matchday 1, will be played between 23 and 25 September, before the second round follows from 27 to 29 September.
National teams will then have the opportunity to play friendly matches in early October before returning to competitive action in the next stage of the qualification process.
The campaign will resume in November, when Matchdays 3 and 4 will be played as teams continue their attempts to finish in the top two positions in their respective groups.
The final two rounds will take place in the FIFA international window in late March 2027.
Those matches will determine which teams secure the remaining places at the continental finals.
CAF has divided the 48 participating nations into 12 groups, with four teams in each group.
Qualification will therefore be determined by the final standings in each group, with the leading two sides earning places at the 2027 AFCON tournament.
Morocco has been placed in Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.
The Atlas Lions will be seeking to book their place at the finals as early as possible as they prepare for another continental campaign.
The group-stage qualification format means each team will have six matches in which to establish its position, making the results across the six matchdays crucial to the final outcome.
The September fixtures will provide the first opportunity for the teams to gain an early advantage, with two rounds taking place within the same FIFA international window.
The October period will then offer national teams a break from qualifying matches, allowing them to arrange friendly fixtures before the campaign resumes in November.
By the time the final two matchdays arrive in March 2027, the qualification race will reach its decisive stage, with teams competing to secure the remaining berths at the finals.
The 2027 AFCON itself is scheduled to begin on 19 June and run until 17 July.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will share hosting responsibilities, with matches to be played in a number of cities across the three countries.
In Kenya, games are scheduled for Nairobi and Kakamega.
Tanzania will host matches in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Zanzibar, while Uganda will stage fixtures in Kampala and Hoima.
The tournament will therefore represent a significant occasion for East African football, with the three nations preparing to host the continent’s leading international competition.
For the 48 teams entering the qualification campaign, attention will first turn to September and the opening two matchdays.
The early results could prove important in establishing the group standings before the November fixtures and the decisive final rounds in March.
With six matchdays spread across the FIFA international windows, national teams now have a clear timetable as they begin their pursuit of qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The tournament will conclude on 17 July 2027, following a month of competition across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
