2027 Africa Cup Qualifiers - Group Stage - 2nd Matches

2027 Africa Cup Qualifiers Group Stage 2nd matches

Qualifiers Kick Off As Giants Make Their Move

The race for 24 spots at AFCON PAMOJA 2027 is officially live — 48 nations are battling across 12 groups for a place at next summer's tournament in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with Matchday 1 setting an electric tone.

THE OPENING STATEMENTS
Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Cameroon and Nigeria all made winning starts as the continent's heavyweights served early notice. Hervé Renard's Côte d'Ivoire were the headline act, cruising to a composed 2-0 derby win over Ghana, while Cameroon put on a show in Garoua with a 3-1 victory over Comoros.

NOT EVERYONE HAD IT EASY
Egypt were frustrated at home, held to a 0-0 draw by Angola in Cairo, and Patrick Vieira's first game in charge of Senegal didn't go to plan either; a 1-1 stalemate against Mozambique. The shock result of the round belonged to Guinea-Bissau, who stunned tournament co-host Tanzania with a 2-0 away win.

HOSTS FLYING EARLY
In Group D, Benni McCarthy's South Africa made the perfect start, topping the table with three points ahead of Kenya and Eritrea — vital momentum for a side doubling up on tournament prep as co-hosts.

WHAT'S NEXT
Matchdays 1 and 2 wrap up by October 6, with the campaign resuming in a November window before concluding in March 2027. In groups without a host nation, only the top two finishers punch their ticket. With the finals marking East Africa's first AFCON in over 50 years, every group between now and March is shaping up to be box-office.