AFCON 2027: Draw and Qualification Dates for Road to East Africa Revealed

The journey to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will begin on May 19 when the draw for the qualification matches will be conducted.

East Africa is set to stage next year’s tournament in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania between Saturday, 19 June 2027 and Saturday, 17 July 2027 with excitement building towards the tournament.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the draw for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers will be conducted on Tuesday May 19, 2026 at a yet to be disclosed venue, setting the stage for the road to East Africa.

A total of 48 Teams, including the three o-hosts, will participate in the qualifiers, with 12 groups of four teams each where the top two will seal a ticket to AFCON 2027.

Despite qualifying as co-hosts, Harambee Stars, just like Tanzania and Uganda, will also participate in the qualifiers, looking to use the matches to gauge their levels and also as part of their preparations towards the tournament.

The qualifiers will be played across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027 as follows.

Matchdays 1 and 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026

Matchdays 3 and 4: 9 to 17 November 2026

Matchdays 5 and 6: 22 to 30 March 2027