Ghana and Ivory Coast will compete in AFCON 2027 qualifying; Full groups for Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Ghana were drawn in the same group as Ivory Coast when the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying round took place in Cairo on Tuesday.

Gambia and Somalia complete Group C, with the winner and runners-up after six matchdays between September and March qualifying for the tournament.

The clash between four-time winners Ghana and three-time champions Ivory Coast left Ghana among the second seeds. The placement was based on the current world rankings.

Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cape Verde are among the ten African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which starts next month in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Cape Verde, whose World Cup qualification at the expense of Cameroon was the biggest shock among the nine African groups, is in Group K of the AFCON with Mali, Rwanda and Liberia.

South Africa is in Group D with Guinea, co-host Kenya and Eritrea. Now that the Kenyans have automatically qualified, the other three teams are competing for one ticket to East Africa.

Nigeria is also in a group where there will be only one qualifying match, apart from co-host Tanzania. Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau complete Group L.

Title holder Morocco shares Group A with Gabon, Niger and Lesotho. AFCON 2025 runners-up Senegal will face Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J.

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Morocco lost a dramatic final to Senegal in Rabat in 2025 but were declared winners after an appeal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The call was a result of many Senegalese players leaving the field after Morocco were given an extra time penalty. Senegal eventually returned, Brahim Diaz missed the penalty and Pape Gueye struck a winner in extra time.

Senegal responded to the deprivation of the title by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland and is awaiting a verdict.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe has repeatedly refuted reports that the AFCON 2027 would be postponed or stripped of its co-host due to delays in preparations.

«The next (2027) AFCON will take place in East Africa in June and July next year. I have no doubt about that, despite all the challenges,» he recently assured reporters.

Meanwhile, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have officially signed on to host the AFCON 2028. If successful, it would be the first edition to be staged in four countries.

South Africa hosted the 1996 and 2013 editions, replacing Kenya and Libya respectively. Kenya failed to meet preparation deadlines, while security concerns ruled out Libya.

From 2028, the AFCON will change from a biennial to a quadrennial event. The change was necessary to make the event fit into the global calendar.

Published on May 19, 2026