AFCON 2027: Preliminary round draw this Tuesday, here’s everything you need to know
The draw, scheduled for this Tuesday at 12:00 GMT and broadcast on CAF TV, will mark the official start of the road to the final tournament co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the details of the official launch of the qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The continental body will conduct, this Tuesday from 12:00 GMT, the draw for the preliminary round, broadcast live on CAF TV.
This stage will mark the kickoff of the long qualifying process leading to the AFCON 2027 finals, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The draw will concern the preliminary round, reserved for the nations with the lowest FIFA World Rankings.
Twelve teams are involved at this stage of the competition, while 42 other African countries have already secured direct qualification for the group stage. The teams involved in this preliminary round are Lesotho, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, São Tomé and Príncipe, Djibouti, Somalia, Seychelles and Eritrea.
In order to ensure a certain sporting balance, CAF has divided these selections into two pots, strictly based on the FIFA rankings. Pot 1 groups the six highest-ranked teams (Lesotho, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, South Sudan and Mauritius), while Pot 2 includes the six lowest-ranked nations (Chad, São Tomé and Príncipe, Djibouti, Somalia, Seychelles and Eritrea).
The draw will pair a team from Pot 1 with a team from Pot 2, until the six fixtures are formed. The regulation also provides that the lower-ranked team will play the first leg at home, adding an extra stake to this opening phase.
Following this preliminary round, the six winners will join the 42 nations already qualified for the group stage draw of AFCON 2027 qualifiers, as the race toward the continent’s flagship football event enters its decisive phase.
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