By Kunle Solaja.

Seven-time African champions Egypt will begin their quest for a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with a blockbuster home clash against Angola after the release of the Group B qualifying fixtures for the continental showpiece.

The North Africans, widely regarded as favourites in the four-team group, will host Angola on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, while Malawi take on South Sudan in the other opening fixture.

Group B is expected to provide a fierce battle for qualification, with Angola hoping to build on their recent resurgence in African football and Malawi seeking to upset the traditional heavyweights.

Egypt’s campaign continues away to South Sudan on October 6 before back-to-back encounters with Malawi in Matchdays Three and Four, fixtures that could prove decisive in determining the group leaders.

Angola, meanwhile, face Malawi in Luanda on Matchday Two before hosting South Sudan in their third fixture. The Palancas Negras are expected to rely heavily on their home form as they chase one of the qualification spots.

The return fixtures in November 2026 could shape the destiny of the group, with Malawi hosting Egypt and South Sudan entertaining Angola on Matchday Four.

One of the standout fixtures of the campaign is expected on March 22, 2027, when Angola welcome Egypt in a potentially explosive penultimate-round showdown that may decide top spot in the group.

The final round of matches comes on March 30, 2027, with Egypt hosting South Sudan while Malawi take on Angola in what could become a decisive battle for qualification.

With only the top teams guaranteed progress to the tournament, every point is expected to matter in a group that combines pedigree, ambition and emerging African football rivalries.

AFCON 2027 Qualifiers – Group B Fixtures

Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026

• Egypt vs Angola
• Malawi vs South Sudan

Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026

• Angola vs Malawi
• South Sudan vs Egypt

Matchday 3 — October 2026

• Egypt vs Malawi
• Angola vs South Sudan

Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026

• Malawi vs Egypt
• South Sudan vs Angola

Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027

• Angola vs Egypt
• South Sudan vs Malawi

Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027

• Malawi vs Angola
• Egypt vs South Sudan

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By Kunle Solaja.

Defending African champions Morocco national football team will begin their quest to retain the Africa Cup of Nations title with a high-profile opening clash against Gabon after the full fixture schedule for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers was released following Tuesday’s draw in Cairo.

The Atlas Lions, drawn in Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho, appear to have been handed one of the more favourable qualification routes as they continue their dominance in African football following their historic FIFA World Cup semi-final achievement and recent continental success.

Morocco will open the campaign at home against the Gabon national football team on September 21, 2026, in what is expected to be the toughest fixture in the group. Gabon’s experience and physical strength, especially in away conditions, could provide the Atlas Lions with their biggest challenge in the race for qualification.

On the same day, Niger will host Lesotho in the group’s other opening fixture.

The second round of matches on October 6 will see Morocco travel to face Lesotho, while Gabon host Niger in a fixture that could shape the early balance of the group.

One of the major talking points surrounding the schedule is Morocco’s renewed meetings with the Niger national football team after both countries were also paired together in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

That familiarity is expected to add extra tactical intrigue when the two sides meet on Matchday Three on November 9, with Morocco hosting Niger in a fixture that could effectively decide the group leadership.

Gabon and Lesotho will clash in the other Matchday Three encounter.

Morocco will then travel away to Gabon on November 17 in what could prove the most demanding away assignment of the campaign. Lesotho will simultaneously host Niger.

The final phase of the qualification series comes in March 2027.

Morocco are scheduled to face Gabon away again on March 22 according to the fixture release, while Lesotho host Niger. The campaign then concludes on March 30 with Niger hosting Gabon and Morocco entertaining Lesotho in their final group match.

The Atlas Lions are overwhelming favourites to secure qualification to the 24-team finals scheduled to take place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17 next year.

With the top two teams from each group advancing to the finals, Morocco are widely expected not only to qualify comfortably but also to use the campaign to further strengthen a squad regarded as one of the strongest on the continent.

The qualification campaign will be played across three international windows, with each national team playing two matches per window.

Morocco’s full Group A fixtures are:

Matchday 1 – September 21, 2026
Morocco vs Gabon
Niger vs Lesotho

Matchday 2 – October 6, 2026
Gabon vs Niger
Lesotho vs Morocco

Matchday 3 – November 9, 2026
Morocco vs Niger
Gabon vs Lesotho

Matchday 4 – November 17, 2026
Gabon vs Morocco
Lesotho vs Niger

Matchday 5 – March 22, 2027
Gabon vs Morocco
Lesotho vs Niger

Matchday 6 – March 30, 2027
Niger vs Gabon
Morocco vs Lesotho

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By Kunle Solaja.

Nigeria’s path to qualification may look comfortable on paper after the Super Eagles were drawn alongside Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau in Group L, but the structure of the campaign means there will be little room for error, especially against Tanzania, the only direct rival likely to challenge for the group’s sole automatic ticket.

With qualification effectively rewarding only group winners, the Super Eagles cannot afford the kind of inconsistency that has complicated several recent African qualifying campaigns. Finishing second could prove fatal, particularly if another nation outside the East African zone tops the group ahead of Tanzania, shutting the door on any secondary qualification route.

That reality immediately places enormous importance on Nigeria’s two matches against Tanzania, widely seen as the Super Eagles’ principal challengers in the group.

While Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau are capable of causing occasional upsets, Tanzania arrive with growing continental credibility after regular appearances at major African tournaments and a rapidly improving domestic football structure. Their physical style, combined with the difficulty of playing in East Africa, could turn the group into a tense two-horse race.

For Nigeria, the danger lies not necessarily in losing outright but in dropping avoidable points away from home, a recurring weakness that has hurt the Super Eagles in past qualification series. Draws against supposedly smaller teams have often transformed straightforward groups into nerve-racking campaigns.

The memory of Nigeria’s shock 2-0 defeat to Madagascar at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations also serves as a warning against complacency. Guinea-Bissau, meanwhile, have evolved into a stubborn opponent capable of frustrating more fancied sides.

Yet the bigger concern for Nigerian football followers is the absence of a safety net.

Unlike previous qualification formats where strong runners-up still had a realistic pathway, this arrangement leaves little margin for recovery if Tanzania establish early momentum. A single defeat in Dar es Salaam or dropped home points in Uyo could suddenly place Nigeria in a difficult chasing position.

The draw, therefore, places immediate pressure on the Super Eagles to approach the campaign with urgency rather than reputation.

Elsewhere across the continent, several heavyweight clashes emerged from the draw, including the blockbuster Group C showdown between the Côte d’Ivoire national football team and Ghana, while Cameroon face a potentially awkward Group G containing Comoros, Namibia and Congo.

African champions Senegal national football team also face a challenging route in Group J against Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia.

But from a Nigerian perspective, the mathematics are brutally simple: top the group or risk watching another major tournament from the sidelines.

And in a continent where away fixtures are increasingly unpredictable, even a seemingly manageable draw offers no guarantees.

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