By Kunle Solaja.

Defending African champions Morocco national football team were handed a favourable route to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after Tuesday’s qualifying draw in Cairo placed the Atlas Lions in Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.

Morocco, still riding on the momentum of their historic FIFA World Cup semi-final achievement and recent continental resurgence, are expected to dominate the section as they begin preparations for another attempt to extend their growing influence in African football.

The North Africans will enter the qualifiers as one of the continent’s strongest sides, with coach Walid Regragui expected to use the campaign not only to secure qualification but also to further strengthen a squad many observers already regard as Africa’s benchmark.

Although Gabon possess enough experience to pose occasional resistance, particularly at home, Morocco are overwhelming favourites to top the group comfortably. Niger and Lesotho are widely viewed as outsiders in a section where the Atlas Lions’ superior depth, technical quality and international experience should prove decisive.

The draw, conducted in Cairo on Tuesday, produced several heavyweight clashes elsewhere across the continent ahead of the finals scheduled to take place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17 next year.

The biggest headline matchup came in Group C, where defending AFCON champions Côte d’Ivoire national football team were paired with fierce rivals Ghana national football team alongside Gambia and Somalia in what is widely considered the toughest section of the qualifiers.

African champions Senegal national football team were drawn against Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J, while Cameroon national football team face Comoros, Namibia and Congo in a potentially tricky Group G.

Seven-time African champions Egypt will battle Angola, Malawi and South Sudan in Group B, while Algeria’s national football team must negotiate a difficult Group I featuring Zambia, Togo and Burundi.

Morocco’s relatively smooth draw immediately reinforced growing expectations that the Atlas Lions could arrive at the 2027 finals not only as qualifiers but as one of the tournament favourites.

The qualification structure also creates unique scenarios in three groups involving co-host nations Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, who automatically qualify for the finals.

As a result, only the highest-placed team apart from the hosts will progress from Groups D, H and L. This affects Group D containing Kenya, South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea; Group H involving Uganda, Tunisia, Libya and Botswana; and Group L where Nigeria face Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau.

The qualification campaign will be played across three international windows, beginning from September 21 to October 6 this year, followed by matches from November 9 to 17 before concluding between March 22 and 30 next year.

Each country will play two qualifying matches during every international window.

For Morocco, however, the focus will be less about simply qualifying and more about maintaining the consistency and authority that have transformed the Atlas Lions into one of Africa’s most admired football projects ahead of another continental title challenge.

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By Kunle Solaja.

Nigeria will renew familiar rivalries with Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, and also with Tanzania, after the Super Eagles were drawn in a potentially tricky Group L of the African qualifiers, while continental heavyweights across the continent face a mixture of political tension, regional derbies and dangerous underdogs on the road to the next major tournament.

The draw, which produced 12 groups spread across the continent, immediately highlighted several intriguing subplots beyond the traditional favourites expected to dominate qualification.

In Group L, three-time African champions Nigeria will confront Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau in what appears, on paper, a favourable section. Yet the Super Eagles have painful memories of Madagascar, who stunned Nigeria 2-0 at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, while Guinea-Bissau have become increasingly competitive in recent years.

Both Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau were in the same qualifying group for the 2023 edition, with Guinea-Bissau stunning the Super Eagles with a 1-0 defeat in Abuja, and it took a penalty kick for Nigeria to avenge the defeat a week later in Bissau.

When both met again in the final competition two years ago, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria only profited from an own goal to overcome the slippery Guinea-Bissau.

Tanzania, boosted by regular continental exposure, could also prove difficult opponents, especially at home. The last time both teams met at the 2017 qualifiers, they played goalless in Dar-es-Salaam while Nigeria scraped a 1-0 win in Uyo in what was Gernot Rohr’s first outing with Nigeria.

The group nevertheless offers Nigeria an opportunity to reassert continental authority after inconsistent qualification campaigns in recent years. Much may depend on whether the Super Eagles can avoid the away-day struggles that have often complicated seemingly straightforward African qualifying fixtures.

Defending African champions Morocco national football team headline Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho. Morocco will be overwhelming favourites, particularly after their historic FIFA World Cup semi-final run elevated expectations around the Atlas Lions. However, Gabon’s experience and the physical difficulty of away matches in Central Africa could still provide occasional resistance.

Group C has emerged as one of the draw’s most explosive sections, pitting the continental giants Côte d’Ivoire national football team against the Ghana national football team. The rivalry between the West African neighbours has produced some of Africa’s fiercest modern contests, and with Gambia and Somalia also involved, every dropped point could become decisive.

Another heavyweight confrontation lies in Group D where the South Africa national football team face Guinea, Kenya and Eritrea. South Africa’s growing confidence under recent rebuilding efforts will be tested by a Guinea side blessed with technical quality and physical strength.

Group G may prove one of the most unpredictable. The Cameroon national football team must navigate encounters with Comoros, Namibia and Congo. Cameroon’s pedigree makes them favourites, but Comoros are no longer continental newcomers after their impressive AFCON rise, while Namibia continue to show tactical discipline and organisation.

The North African powers also received challenging assignments. Tunisia national football team were paired with Uganda, Libya and Botswana in Group H, while Algeria national football team will battle Zambia, Togo and Burundi in Group I. Zambia’s resurgence could make that section one of the most competitive in the draw.

Perhaps the toughest-looking group overall is Group J, where African champions Senegal national football team meet Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia. Sudan’s recent rise on the continental stage and Ethiopia’s difficult home conditions mean Senegal cannot afford complacency.

Elsewhere, Egypt headlines Group B against Angola, Malawi and South Sudan, while Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda and Liberia make up an evenly balanced Group K that could produce surprise outcomes.

Beyond the football itself, the draw again underlines Africa’s growing competitive depth. Smaller nations that were once regarded as mere participants — including Comoros, Botswana, Namibia and Madagascar — now possess the structure and tactical organisation capable of disrupting established powers.

The qualification campaign is therefore unlikely to be a straightforward procession for Africa’s traditional giants. Instead, it promises another chapter in the continent’s increasingly unpredictable football evolution, where reputation alone no longer guarantees safe passage.

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By Kunle Solaja.

Heavyweights Nigeria, Morocco and Senegal will lead the race to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after the 48 participating teams for the qualifying campaign were officially divided into four pots ahead of the draw.

The qualifying series will determine the 21 teams that will join co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania at the finals scheduled to hold from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

In a surprising twist, World Cup-bound Ghana and Cape Verde were omitted from Pot 1 despite both nations qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals this summer.

Pot 1 is dominated by Africa’s traditional powerhouses, featuring Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Cameroon, DR Congo, Mali, South Africa and Burkina Faso.

Pot 2 contains several dangerous sides, including Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gabon, Uganda, Angola, Benin, Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea and Comoros.

Co-hosts Kenya and Tanzania are placed in Pot 3 alongside Libya, Niger, Mauritania, Gambia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Togo, Malawi and Rwanda.

Pot 4 includes Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, Congo, Central African Republic, Liberia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.

The 48 teams will be drawn into nine groups, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the tournament. However, the participation of the three co-hosts in the qualifiers creates a unique format twist.

Although Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have automatic qualification as hosts, they will still participate in the qualifiers to gain competitive match practice. In any group containing one of the co-hosts, only one additional team will qualify for the finals.

The arrangement is expected to increase the intensity of the qualifiers, especially for nations drawn alongside the hosts, where the margin for error will be significantly reduced.

Today’s draw is expected to produce several high-profile clashes and regional rivalries as Africa officially begins the road to PAMOJA 2027.

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