CAN 2027: CAF unveils the preliminary round fixtures, Benin exempt.
Gathered in Rabat, the draw for CAN 2027 set the first qualifying fixtures, with the winners joining the 42 national teams already qualified for the next phase of the road to the tournament co-hosted in East Africa.
SUMMARY
As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations approaches its conclusion, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has already set the course toward the 2027 edition. This Tuesday, January 13, 2026, in Rabat, the continental governing body conducted the draw for the preliminary round of the CAN 2027 qualifiers, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
This first round will feature twelve national teams vying for a place in the rest of the qualification process. The matchups drawn will include Djibouti vs South Sudan, Chad vs Burundi, Somalia vs Mauritius, Seychelles vs Lesotho, Eritrea vs Eswatini, and São Tomé and Príncipe vs Ethiopia.
These ties will be played home-and-away during the FIFA window from March 25 to 31, 2026. The six winners will then join the 42 nations already qualified for the next phase, among which is Benin, for the big showdown of the qualifiers.
The preliminary round fixtures:
Djibouti vs South Sudan
Chad vs Burundi
Somalia vs Mauritius
Seychelles vs Lesotho
Eritrea vs Eswatini
São Tomé and Príncipe vs Ethiopia
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