The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is now properly underway, and the opening preliminary-round matches have already produced one of the competition’s most compelling early narratives: Eritrea’s return to AFCON qualifying after nearly two decades away, alongside commanding first-leg wins for Burundi and Ethiopia. According to the official tournament coverage from CAF, the preliminary stage features the 12 lowest-ranked entrants, with six ties being played over two legs between 25 and 31 March 2026 to determine who advances into the main qualifying phase for the finals, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. (CAF preview)
The headline result from the opening round came in Meknes, Morocco, where Eritrea beat Eswatini 2–0 to mark their long-awaited re-entry into AFCON qualifying. CAF reported that Eritrea had to wait until the 81st minute for the breakthrough, when Siem Eyob-Abraha scored directly from a corner, before Abdurahman Sulieman added a second deep into stoppage time to hand the Red Sea Camels a strong advantage heading into the return leg. The result matters well beyond the scoreline. Eritrea had not featured in AFCON qualifying for approximately 18 years, making the victory both symbolic and competitively significant. (CAF match report)
Elsewhere, Burundi delivered one of the strongest performances of the round by thrashing Chad 4–0, while Ethiopia beat São Tomé and Príncipe 3–0 to seize control of their tie. CAF said Burundi’s win was built on a clinical display, with the result effectively putting one foot into the next round, while Ethiopia’s victory was driven by a brace from Abel Yalew, giving the East Africans a commanding cushion before the second leg. These margins matter because the preliminary phase is often the most volatile part of qualification, where narrow gaps in ranking can disappear quickly under pressure. In this case, Burundi and Ethiopia have already turned the return matches into opportunities to manage advantage rather than chase it. (CAF round-up)
The wider context makes these results even more relevant. CAF’s PAMOJA 2027 tournament will be historic as the first AFCON to be co-hosted by three countries, and the federation has positioned the competition as a new chapter for East African football and continental integration. That gives even the preliminary round more weight than usual. These early ties are not simply administrative hurdles for lower-ranked teams. They are the first steps into what could become one of the most politically and commercially significant editions of the tournament in years. (CAF tournament background)
What we know so far is that Eritrea have the emotional momentum, Burundi have the clearest cushion, and Ethiopia have given themselves room to breathe. What remains open is whether any of the trailing sides can turn the return legs into comebacks. The second matches, scheduled before the end of the current international window, will decide which six nations move into the next stage of qualification. For now, the early story of AFCON 2027 is one of return, control and opportunity, with Eritrea’s comeback to continental qualifying already standing out as the most resonant image of the round. (CAF schedule and format)
