General View of Trophy during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON ©Majt Esseddik/BackpagePix
Sunday May 17, 2026. 11:00
Confederation of African Football (CAF) revealed that the draw for the Africa Cup of Nations Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2027 qualifiers will take place on Tuesday afternoon, 19 May 2026, at 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT) at the Egyptian Football Association Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
A total of 48 teams, including the three co-hosts, will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two from every group will qualify for the finals and an extra team will advance from groups that include a host nation.
The qualifiers will be played across three FIFA international match windows: 21 September to 6 October 2026, 9 to 17 November 2026, and 22 to 30 March 2027.
The finals tournament itself is scheduled from 19 June to 17 July 2027, with the opening match on 19 June and the final on 17 July.
CAF issued the following statement;
Qualification and the Road to the Final Tournament:
A total of 48 Teams, including the three Co-Hosts, will participate in the Qualifiers.
The Draw will determine the pathway to the finals, with 24 teams set to secure qualification for Africa’s flagship football event.
The Qualifiers will be played across three windows in the FIFA International Match Calendar ahead of the finals, which are scheduled to take place from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Matchdays 1 and 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026
Matchdays 3 and 4: 9 to 17 November 2026
Matchdays 5 and 6: 22 to 30 March 2027
The 48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the finals, while groups containing one of the co-hosts will see one additional team progress.