The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will hold the draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers today at 3 p.m. Ugandan time.
The draw will kick off the journey to the continent’s biggest football tournament, which Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will co-host.
The 2027 edition, called “AFCON PAMOJA 2027,” will be the first time three countries co-host the tournament. CAF said the tournament will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
It will also mark the return of the Africa Cup of Nations to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976.
According to CAF, the 48 teams will be split into 12 groups of four. The top two teams in each group will qualify automatically for the finals.
Since Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have already qualified as hosts, only one other team will qualify from each of their groups. CAF said the qualifiers will be played during three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
Matchdays one and two are set for September 21 to October 6, 2026. Matchdays three and four will run from November 9 to 17, 2026. The final qualifiers are scheduled for March 22 to 30, 2027.
CAF added that AFCON PAMOJA 2027 should build on the commercial success and global reach of the recent tournaments in Côte d’Ivoire and Morocco. It should also boost infrastructure, tourism, and regional cooperation in East Africa.
