The qualification campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations gets under way on Thursday, with 48 teams still in contention. It begins just eight months after the final of the 2025 Afcon, with the destination of that title still unresolved. The extended international window will stage two rounds of matches, followed by two more in November and the final two fixtures in March. The finals will be a 24-team tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The top two teams in nine of the 12 groups will qualify, but because the three hosts are guaranteed places, only one spot is available in their groups, meaning a second-placed finish may not be enough.
Several managerial changes have taken place since the last Afcon in Morocco and this year’s Fifa World Cup, and a number of star players have retired from international football. Two coaching arrivals have drawn particular attention. Herve Renard, the only man to win Afcon with two different nations, has returned to the Ivory Coast job 11 years after leading the West Africans to the title. The 57-year-old Frenchman begins his second stint at home against Ghana on Thursday, the standout fixture of the first round. In the opposing dugout, Carlos Queiroz is back in charge of Ghana after leading the Black Stars to the last 32 at the World Cup, although Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus is among the players to have withdrawn from the squad.
Patrick Vieira is another high-profile new arrival, taking charge of Senegal, the country of his birth. The 1998 World Cup winner with France and former Arsenal midfielder, 50, describes the role as ‘an absolute dream’. He will begin with two away games against Mozambique and Ethiopia because Dakar is preparing to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.
Other nations have also made changes. Cape Verde, one of the stories of the 2026 World Cup after pushing Argentina all the way in the last 32 before losing 3-2 after extra time as debutants, saw long-serving coach Bubista resign. His former assistant Humberto Bettencourt has stepped up and begins his reign in Mali on Friday before hosting Rwanda on Tuesday. Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa have changed coaches since the World Cup. Tunisia have turned to former Esperance and Renaissance Berkane boss Moin Chaaban as they seek to move on from a disastrous World Cup campaign in which Sabri Lamouchi was dismissed after one game and Renard failed to orchestrate a revival. Pitso Mosimane has been reappointed by South Africa 14 years after his last spell in charge, which saw Bafana Bafana miss out on the 2012 Afcon. Brahim Hemdani has taken over Algeria after Vladimir Petkovic’s departure.
Claude Le Roy has returned at the age of 78 after signing on for a second stint with Congo-Brazzaville. The Red Devils have not appeared at the finals since 2015, while the Frenchman is aiming to coach at a record-extending 10th edition of the finals. Burkina Faso have turned to ex-Comoros boss Amir Abdou, and Aliou Cisse, the 2021 Afcon-winning coach, has his first competitive matches in charge of Angola after a stint with Libya. The former Senegal boss starts with a tough away assignment in Egypt.
Some big-name players have called time on their international careers since the World Cup, with several of them former Afcon winners. Senegal are looking for a new number one after Edouard Mendy retired. The 34-year-old helped the Teranga Lions become champions at the 2021 and 2025 tournaments, even if the latter title is still disputed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Riyad Mahrez, who captained Algeria to the 2019 trophy, has quit international duty, while Ivory Coast will have to cope without midfielders Seko Fofana and Jean-Michael Seri. Ellyes Skhiri has also retired, and Tunisia will aim to reach a record-extending 18th consecutive Afcon without him. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has stepped back from Gabon duty, saying he felt ‘humiliated’ by his treatment after their exit at the previous tournament. The 37-year-old was excluded from the national team set-up after their group-stage exit, a sanction later lifted, but he ruled himself out of Sebastien Migne’s Panthers squad despite a fine start to the season with Deportivo La Coruna.
Eritrea are back in the group stage of Afcon qualifying for the first time since the build-up to the 2008 edition after beating Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round in March. Chad, Djibouti, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles are the other five nations already eliminated. Seven Eritrea players absconded after the away leg of their tie, which was held in South Africa. Instances of Eritrean sportsmen and women failing to return home to a one-party state and highly militarised society have long been an issue, and were part of the reason for the East Africans withdrawing from qualifying for both the 2023 Afcon and 2026 World Cup. The Red Sea Camels, drawn alongside Kenya, South Africa and Guinea in Group D, are now largely relying on talent from the diaspora. Just three home-based players have been named in the squad for their opening two fixtures, which see them take on the tournament co-hosts in Nairobi on Saturday before a ‘home’ game against Bafana Bafana in Cairo on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Somalia have reached the group stage of qualifying for the first time ever but face a tricky draw alongside Ivory Coast, Ghana and The Gambia. The Ocean Stars are ranked 53rd on the continent but, like Eritrea, can dream of reaching Afcon as the tournament returns to East Africa for the first time since 1976.