The race for places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations has officially begun, with several of Africa’s leading football nations making their first steps towards qualification for the tournament in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The opening round of the group-stage qualifiers began on Thursday, September 24, before continuing through Saturday, with 24 matches scheduled across the continent during Matchday 1.
Nigeria were among the teams to begin their campaign with a victory after the Super Eagles came from behind to defeat Madagascar 2-1 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
Madagascar stunned the hosts by taking the lead through Ehsan Kari in the 16th minute, but Nigeria responded shortly before half-time when debutant George Ilenikhena equalised in first-half stoppage time.
Another debutant, Moses Usor, then completed the comeback in the 65th minute to give Eric Chelle’s side all three points.
The victory was particularly significant for Nigeria because Madagascar had previously defeated the Super Eagles 2-0 at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
Elsewhere, Algeria also opened their Group I campaign with a 3-1 victory over Zambia. The Desert Foxes established their advantage early and went on to secure the three points.
Morocco, one of the co-hosts of the previous AFCON, also made a winning start by defeating Gabon 2-0 in Rabat. The Atlas Lions scored through Noussair Mazraoui and Soufiane Rahimi.
In Group E, DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0, with Chancel Mbemba opening the scoring after just four minutes before Yoane Wissa added the second goal in the 72nd minute.
Mauritania also began Group F with a 3-1 victory over the Central African Republic, while Libya produced one of the dramatic results of the opening day after recovering from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Botswana.
Botswana appeared to be heading for victory after taking a 2-0 lead, but Libya scored twice late in the match, including a 90th-minute penalty, to rescue a point.
Cameroon also started strongly, defeating Comoros 3-1 in Group G. Bryan Mbeumo was among the scorers as the Indomitable Lions secured an important opening victory.
Côte d’Ivoire claimed one of the headline results on Thursday, beating Ghana 2-0 in Bouaké. The Elephants scored through Mohamed Yalcouye and Franck Kessie to take early control of Group C.
Tunisia, meanwhile, were held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda, while Sierra Leone suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Zimbabwe despite taking an early two-goal lead.
The Friday fixtures produced more drama, with Guinea-Bissau defeating Tanzania 2-0, while Senegal were held to a 1-1 draw by Mozambique.
Egypt were also unable to claim victory, being held to a goalless draw by Angola. Mali recorded a 3-1 win over Cape Verde, while Niger defeated Lesotho 2-1.
Nigeria’s victory puts the Super Eagles in a positive position at the beginning of Group L, which also contains Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania. The Nigerians will next travel to Guinea-Bissau for their second qualifier on September 29.
The 2027 AFCON will be the first edition of the tournament to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The finals are scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, with the qualifying campaign continuing through November before the final rounds are played in March 2027.
With the opening matches already producing comebacks, surprise results and dropped points for some of Africa’s traditional powers, the road to East Africa has begun with plenty of early drama.
