AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Who Gained Ground After the Opening Round — and Why the Host Groups Work Differently

The opening matchday of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations has begun to establish the early shape of the 12 groups, with several of the continent’s leading teams taking maximum points while away victories and the tournament’s three-host format added intrigue to the qualification race.

Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Nigeria and Cameroon were among the teams to open with victories as 48 nations began the group phase on the road to the finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

CAF’s Matchday One review also highlighted strong starts away from home and several groups in which qualification mathematics will be affected by the automatic places already held by the three co-hosts.

Heavyweights make early statements

Defending African champions Côte d’Ivoire began with a 2–0 victory over Ghana, while Cameroon defeated Comoros 3–1. Morocco, Algeria and Nigeria also took three points from their opening fixtures, giving several established contenders an early advantage before Matchday Two.

Not every leading side started with a win. Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola, while Senegal drew 1–1 with Mozambique, immediately making the second round of fixtures more significant in those groups.

Away results reshape the early table

Guinea-Bissau produced one of the notable away performances by defeating co-host Tanzania 2–0. Zimbabwe also delivered one of the opening round’s dramatic results, recovering from two goals down to beat Sierra Leone 3–2.

Early away points can be particularly valuable in a qualification campaign where teams have relatively few matches to recover from poor starts. Matchday Two will therefore provide the first indication of whether the opening results represent emerging group patterns or simply the volatility of the first round.

Why the host groups work differently

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are already guaranteed places at the 2027 finals as co-hosts, but all three are participating in the qualifiers. Their presence changes how qualification works in their respective groups.

In a group containing a host nation, only the highest-ranked non-host team qualifies alongside the host. That makes results between the remaining teams particularly important because they are effectively competing for one available qualification place.

South Africa’s 2–1 opening victory over Guinea is therefore especially valuable in Group D, where Kenya already holds an automatic finals place. Guinea and Eritrea are competing with South Africa for the remaining ticket from that group.

The road is still long

The first matchday offers an early snapshot rather than a verdict. Matchdays One and Two run through early October, after which the qualification campaign resumes before concluding in 2027.

Twenty-four teams will contest the final tournament, which runs from 19 June to 17 July 2027 across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It will be the first Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by three countries.

References

• CAF: Group-by-group review after AFCON 2027 Matchday One
• CAF: AFCON 2027 Matchdays One and Two fixtures and qualification format