CAF Defines the Path Towards the 2027 African Festival

The African Football Confederation (CAF) revealed today, Monday, the draw system for the qualifiers leading to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, which are scheduled to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

CAF clarified in an official statement published on its website that the draw for the preliminary round of the qualifiers will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, on the sidelines of the current edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The African Union indicated that the preliminary round will be held with the participation of 12 teams ranked among the lowest in the latest FIFA rankings, while 42 teams have secured direct qualification to the group stage of the qualifiers.

The list of national teams participating in the preliminary round includes Lesotho, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, São Tomé and Príncipe, Djibouti, Somalia, Seychelles, and Eritrea.

By the end of this stage, 6 teams will qualify to join the 42 teams that have already qualified, completing the total of 48 teams participating in the group stage. These teams will be divided into 12 groups, with each group consisting of 4 teams.

The winners of the first and second places in each group will secure qualification tickets to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, in what will be one of the largest editions in the history of the continental tournament.