2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Matchday 2 Heats Up

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are already guaranteed places at next year’s finals, yet the second round of qualifiers still matters to all three. Matchday 2 runs from 28 September to 6 October, giving the hosts a chance to fix problems well before the tournament arrives in June.

How qualification works for the hosts

The 48 nations sit in 12 groups of four and play home and away across six matchdays, the AFCON 2027 qualification scenarios for East African teams is going to intensify. The top two in each group advance, with one exception. In Groups D, H and L, only the highest-ranked team outside the host nation goes through. That leaves South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea fighting for one place in Kenya’s group. Tunisia, Libya and Botswana face the same squeeze in Uganda’s Group H, and Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar do in Tanzania’s Group L.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in the spotlight

Kenya opened with a 1-1 home draw against Eritrea. Eritrea led through Nahom Girmai before Ryan Ogam struck late for Harambee Stars. The build-up was messy, with coach Benni McCarthy blaming a lack of preparation after a dispute over unpaid allowances. South Africa beat Guinea 2-1 and lead Group D on three points, with Kenya third on one. South Africa host Eritrea on 30 September, and Kenya then travel to Conakry to face Guinea on 1 October.

Group H is level. Tunisia drew 1-1 with Uganda and Libya drew 2-2 with Botswana, so every side has a point. Botswana were due to face Tunisia on Monday, and Uganda host Libya today at 16:00 GMT.

Tanzania have the toughest start. They lost 2-0 to Guinea-Bissau, while Nigeria beat Madagascar 2-1. Tanzania face Madagascar at 13:00 GMT today, and Guinea-Bissau meet Nigeria three hours later. That match could open a gap at the top of the group.

What comes next

Qualifying resumes on 9-17 November, and the final two rounds are scheduled for 22-30 March 2027. The finals then run from 19 June to 17 July 2027, the first time AFCON has returned to East Africa in more than five decades.

The hosts cannot be eliminated, but their coaches will still use these matches to judge who is ready. For the visiting teams in each host group, one place is on offer, so every dropped point counts.