The race to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations has officially begun, with 21 places still available for teams seeking to join the three host nations in the 24-team tournament.
The 36th edition of the continental championship, officially known as the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will make history as the first AFCON tournament to be jointly hosted by three countries — Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Secure Automatic Qualification
The three East African hosts have automatically qualified for the finals and will not need to secure qualification through the group stage.
The tournament is being promoted under the Swahili word “Pamoja,” meaning “together,” reflecting the joint hosting arrangement.
Kenya will host matches in Nairobi, with the Talanta Stadium serving as one of its key venues.
Tanzania, the lead host nation, will stage games in Dar es Salaam, including at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Uganda will welcome fixtures in Kampala at the historic Mandela National Stadium.
How the 21 Remaining Spots Will Be Filled
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has retained the 24-team format for the 2027 tournament.
A total of 48 nations are competing in 12 qualifying groups, labelled Groups A to L, for the remaining 21 places.
In the nine groups without a host nation, the top two teams will qualify automatically for the finals. This will produce 18 qualifiers.
Special arrangements apply to Groups D, H and L, which contain Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania respectively. Although the three hosts are participating in the qualifiers, they already have automatic places in the finals.
As a result, only one non-host team from each of those three groups will qualify, with the highest-ranked non-host side earning the available ticket.
The qualifying format will therefore produce 21 teams on sporting merit, who will join the three automatically qualified hosts to complete the 24-team lineup for the 2027 AFCON.
The continental showpiece is scheduled to take place in East Africa in mid-2027.
