The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the draw for the qualification campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Cairo on Tuesday, 19 May 2026.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT) at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in the Egyptian capital.
CAF said 48 national teams, including co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will take part in the draw as nations begin the journey towards securing places at the continent’s biggest football tournament.
The teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the leading two sides from each group qualifying automatically for the finals. In groups that contain one of the host nations, an additional team will also progress to the tournament.
The qualification matches are due to be played across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
According to CAF, the opening round of fixtures, covering matchdays one and two, will take place from 21 September to 6 October 2026. Matchdays three and four are scheduled for 9 to 17 November 2026, while the final qualification matches will be played from 22 to 30 March 2027.
The draw is expected to outline the path each nation must navigate in order to reach the finals tournament, which will feature 24 teams.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals are scheduled to run from 19 June to 17 July 2027. CAF confirmed that the tournament’s opening match will be played on 19 June, with the final taking place on 17 July.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are preparing to jointly stage the competition, marking the first time the East African neighbours will co-host Africa’s premier football event together.
CAF’s qualification structure means that while the host nations are already assured of participation in the finals, they will still be included in the qualifying draw alongside the other participating countries.
The governing body stated that all 48 participating teams will be involved in the qualification process. The campaign will ultimately determine the 24 nations that will compete at the finals tournament in 2027.
The qualification phase is set to unfold over six matchdays spread across three international breaks, giving teams several months to secure their place at the finals.
CAF said the draw in Cairo will officially launch the next stage of preparations for the tournament, with national teams across the continent waiting to discover their opponents and routes to qualification.
The Africa Cup of Nations remains Africa’s flagship international football competition and is one of the continent’s most watched sporting events. The 2027 edition is expected to attract significant interest as East Africa hosts the tournament for the first time in decades.
With the draw now confirmed, attention will turn to the qualifying campaign as teams aim to secure one of the coveted places at the finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.