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<\/p>\nThe Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the full rules and structure for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying draw, set to take place in Cairo on Tuesday, 19 May 2026. The ceremony will be held at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association, starting at 12:00 GMT. It will be broadcast live on CAF TV.<\/p>\n
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A total of 48 national teams will take part in the group stage of the qualifiers. These teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with each group containing one team from each of the four seeding pots.<\/p>\n
The seeding pots were determined using FIFA rankings as of 1 April 2026.<\/p>\n
CAF will conduct the draw starting from Pot 4 and working up to Pot 1, filling group positions from A4 to L4 before completing each group in sequence.<\/p>\n
Special Rules for Host Nations<\/p>\n
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Because of this, special draw rules apply to all three countries.<\/p>\n
None of the three host nations can be placed in the same qualifying group. Since Kenya and Tanzania are both in Pot 3, they will automatically be assigned to different groups from the start.<\/p>\n
Uganda is placed in Pot 2. If the draw places Uganda into a group that already contains either Kenya or Tanzania, Uganda will be moved to the next available group. This safeguard ensures that no two host nations end up competing against each other in the qualifiers.<\/p>\n
The qualification rules differ depending on whether a group contains a host nation or not.<\/p>\n
In groups without a host nation, the top two teams at the end of the group stage will both qualify for the tournament finals.<\/p>\n
In groups that contain a host nation, the host qualifies automatically. If the host finishes first in the group, then the second-placed team will also advance. However, if the host finishes outside the top two positions, only the group winner will qualify. This means some groups may send only one team to the finals.<\/p>\n
The qualifying campaign is split across three separate windows. The first two matchdays will take place during the FIFA International Window from 21 September to 6 October 2026. Matchdays 3 and 4 follow from 9 to 17 November 2026. The final two matchdays are scheduled from 22 to 30 March 2027.<\/p>\n
It is worth noting that six teams reached the group stage through a preliminary round: South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, Lesotho, Eritrea and Ethiopia. They join the 42 top-ranked sides to make up the full field of 48.<\/p>\n
Once the draw is completed in Cairo, all 48 teams will know their group opponents and the path ahead. The tournament itself is scheduled to run from 19 June to 17 July 2027, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania sharing hosting duties.<\/p>\n
With the draw rules now confirmed, attention turns to Tuesday’s ceremony and the groups that will shape the qualification race across the coming months.<\/p>\n