CAF Releases Statement on AFCON 2027 Qualifiers Amid Controversy on 2025 Edition
- CAF has shared the details of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers ahead of the matches in March
- 12 countries will participate in the preliminary round of the qualifiers to select six teams for the final phase
- East African neighbours Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will host the Pamoja 2027 edition from June to July
CAF has shared the details of the preliminary round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, despite ongoing controversies over the 2025 edition.
The aftermath of the chaos of the 2025 edition final is still ongoing after CAF stripped Senegal of the title after their brief disruption of the match on January 18, 2025.
Source: Getty Images
CAF’s Disciplinary Board had initially fined both Senegal and Morocco, but the North Africans appealed, forcing CAF to award them the title.
Senegal launched an appeal against the CAF Appeal Board’s verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sports to reverse the ruling and reaffirm them as champions.
CAF begins AFCON 2027 journey
CAF has published a statement on its website confirming the details of the preliminary round of qualifiers for AFCON 2027, Pamoja edition in East Africa.
The draw for the prelim was held in Morocco before AFCON 2025, with the 12 lowest-ranked African countries facing off, and the six winners will join the other 42 teams for the main qualifiers.
Eritrea, Eswatini, Lesotho, Seychelles, Djibouti, South Sudan, Somalia, Mauritius, Chad, Burundi, Sao Tome e Principe and Ethiopia are the 12 countries.
AFCON 2027 preliminary schedule
25/03 – Eritrea vs Eswatini – Stade d'Honneur, Meknès
31/03 – Eswatini vs Eritrea – Somhlolo National Stadium, Lobamba
26/03 – Seychelles vs Lesotho – Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
29/03 – Lesotho vs Seychelles – Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
26/03 – Djibouti vs South Sudan – Juba Stadium, Juba
29/03 – South Sudan vs Djibouti – Juba Stadium, Juba
27/03 – Somalia vs Mauritius – Lalgy Arena, Matola
31/03 – Mauritius vs Somalia – National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre
27/03 – Chad vs Burundi – Stade Olympique, N'Djamena
31/03 – Burundi vs Chad – Stade Intwari, Bujumbura
27/03 – Sao Tome e Principe vs Ethiopia – Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida
31/03 – Ethiopia vs Sao Tome e Principe - Dire Dawa Stadium
Kenya faces hosting rights funding issues
According to Tuko, Kenya faces possible elimination as one of the three hosts of the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations unless they comply with a deadline.
Source: Getty Images
Kenya has yet to fulfil the mandatory payment of $30 million hosting fee ahead of the March 30, 2026, deadline, which could lead to their expulsion as hosts.
Tanzania and Uganda have reportedly fulfilled this condition, and the Kenyan sports ministry has assured fans that the government will meet the deadline.
Read also
FIFA updates rankings after CAF strips Senegal of AFCON 2025 title, Morocco declared winner
The East African neighbours also faced issues when they hosted the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in 2025, which led to postponement from February to August.
CAF releases new statement on AFCON winners
Legit.ng previously reported that CAF released a new statement on its website, replacing Senegal with Morocco as the AFCON 2025 winners.
The update came after the CAF Appeals Board stripped Senegal of the title following a successful appeal from Morocco after the Disciplinary Board judgment.
Source: Legit.ng
