The race for qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has officially begun, with 21 places still available for teams seeking to join the three co-host nations at the continental showpiece.
The 36th edition of the tournament, officially known as the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will make history as the first AFCON to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The three East African countries have already secured automatic qualification by virtue of their hosting rights. The tournament will be staged under the theme “Pamoja,” a Swahili word meaning “together.”
Despite their automatic qualification, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are participating in the qualifying campaign, with special arrangements introduced for their respective groups.
The other 48 participating nations have been divided into 12 groups, labelled A to L, as they battle for the remaining spots.
In nine groups without a host nation, the top two teams will qualify for the finals, producing 18 qualifiers.
However, Groups D, H and L, which contain the three host nations, will operate under different rules. In each of those groups, only the highest-finishing non-host team will secure qualification.
The arrangement means that 21 nations will qualify through the qualifiers, while Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will complete the 24-team field automatically.
The 2027 AFCON will be staged across the three East African countries, with key venues including Talanta Stadium in Nairobi, Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam and Mandela National Stadium in Kampala.
With the qualification slots limited and the hosts already guaranteed their places, the campaign is expected to produce intense competition among Africa’s leading football nations for the remaining tickets to the 2027 continental championship.
