Africa Cup of Nations Qualification: AFCON 2027 Matchday 2 Fixtures, Standings and Rules

Africa Cup of Nations qualification for AFCON 2027 moves into Matchday 2 on Monday after an opening round filled with away wins, late goals and two costly draws for Egypt and Senegal. Morocco, Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria all started with victories, while Guinea-Bissau produced a major result by beating co-hosts Tanzania 2-0 away.

Four qualifiers are scheduled for 28 September. The larger Matchday 2 programme follows on 29 September, with further games on 30 September, 1 October and 6 October.

AFCON 2027 qualification: Key points

• 48 teams are competing across 12 groups of four.
• Each team plays six home-and-away group matches.
• The top two qualify from groups that do not contain a tournament co-host.
• Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are already qualified, changing the rules in Groups D, H and L.
• Matchday 2 begins with Equatorial Guinea vs Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe vs DR Congo, Central African Republic vs Burkina Faso and Botswana vs Tunisia.

Africa Cup of Nations qualification standings after Matchday 1

The table below shows the early leaders and the teams immediately behind them. It is a one-match snapshot, not a final qualification projection.

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The official CAF group-by-group report confirms the opening results and early positions. Goal difference already separates some teams level on points, but the more important story is how quickly pressure has arrived for several established sides.

What happened on AFCON 2027 Matchday 1?

Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria start strongly

Morocco beat Gabon 2-0 through goals from Noussair Mazraoui and Soufiane Rahimi. Niger joined them on three points by holding off Lesotho 2-1.

Côte d’Ivoire defeated Ghana 2-0 in Group C. Malick Yalcouyé opened the scoring before Franck Kessié converted a penalty. The Gambia also started with a win, beating Somalia 2-1.

Algeria recovered after Zambia equalised in Group I. Ibrahim Maza restored the lead and Anis Hadj Moussa completed a 3-1 victory. Togo’s 1-0 win over Burundi means both early leaders have three points.

Egypt and Senegal drop home points

Egypt were held to a 0-0 draw by Angola in Cairo. The result leaves Malawi alone at the top of Group B following their 2-1 win over South Sudan.

Senegal also opened with a draw. Nicolas Jackson put them ahead against Mozambique, but Geny Catamo equalised before half-time. Sudan’s late 1-0 victory over Ethiopia therefore puts them first in Group J after one round.

A draw in the first match is recoverable. But with only six group games, another slip would immediately complicate the November window.

Zimbabwe deliver the comeback of the round

Zimbabwe trailed Sierra Leone 2-0 before Marshall Munetsi started the recovery in the 72nd minute. Tawanda Chirewa equalised four minutes later, then Munetsi scored again in the 88th minute to complete a 3-2 comeback.

DR Congo also won in Group E, beating Equatorial Guinea 2-0. That makes Zimbabwe vs DR Congo one of the biggest matches on 28 September: both have three points, and the winner would create an early advantage in the group.

Nigeria win, but Guinea-Bissau lead Group L

Nigeria came from behind to beat Madagascar 2-1. George Ilenikhena equalised before Moses Usor scored the winner in the second half.

Guinea-Bissau produced the group’s headline result with a 2-0 away victory over Tanzania. Franculino Djú and Mama Baldé scored the goals. Since Tanzania have already qualified as co-hosts, the direct race among Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar is especially important.

AFCON 2027 Matchday 2 fixtures for 28 September

Zimbabwe vs DR Congo is the only meeting between two Matchday 1 winners on Monday. Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone both need points after opening defeats, while Burkina Faso and Tunisia are trying to turn first-round draws into their first victories.

Major AFCON qualifying fixtures on 29 September

The remaining Matchday 2 games are Eritrea vs South Africa on 30 September, Guinea vs Kenya on 1 October and Angola vs Malawi on 6 October. The times above are converted from CAF’s official GMT listings; readers should recheck the CAF Matchdays 1-2 fixture guide before kickoff in case of a late change.

How does AFCON 2027 qualification work?

The 48 teams are split into 12 groups and play six rounds. In nine groups, the teams finishing first and second qualify for the finals.

The rule changes in the three groups containing co-hosts:

• Group D: Kenya are already qualified. The highest-placed team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea takes the additional finals place.
• Group H: Uganda are already qualified. Tunisia, Libya and Botswana compete for the group’s other place.
• Group L: Tanzania are already qualified. Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Madagascar compete for the remaining place.

That is why South Africa’s win over Guinea and Guinea-Bissau’s victory in Tanzania carry more weight than an ordinary opening-round result. In host groups, finishing second overall may not be enough if another non-host finishes above you.

Matchdays 3 and 4 will be played from 9-17 November 2026. The last two rounds follow from 22-30 March 2027. The finals run from 19 June to 17 July 2027 across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. These dates and rules are confirmed in CAF’s official fixture release and the Al Jazeera AFCON 2027 explainer.

Where can you watch AFCON 2027 qualifiers?

CAF’s official Matchday 1 broadcast notice names beIN Sports across the MENA region and several other territories, plus CANAL+ for French-language coverage in more than 30 Sub-Saharan African countries.

The country-level list varies. CAF points South African viewers to SABC and Tanzanian audiences to Azam. Its notice also identifies OnTime Sport for Egypt, SNRT for Morocco, RBS for Rwanda, CRTV for Cameroon, RTNC for DR Congo and Botswana TV. In Europe, the named options for selected games are Germany’s DAZN, Portugal’s Sport TV, Spain’s Movistar and the Netherlands’ Ziggo.

CAF’s notice does not name an India-specific broadcaster. Indian viewers should therefore check CAF’s official match page and local TV or streaming listings rather than relying on unverified streams. The official CAF where-to-watch notice is the safest reference available at the time of writing.

For more international football coverage, 4xSports readers can also use our UEFA Nations League format guide, country-by-country Nations League watch guide and Portugal vs Wales Nations League report.

Matches to watch closely

Zimbabwe vs DR Congo is the clearest early six-pointer because both sides won their opening game. Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria matters for the special Group L race, while Ghana vs The Gambia puts an opening-round loser against a three-point team.

Egypt and Senegal also face immediate tests away from home. Neither is in crisis after one draw, but both will want to enter the November window with a win rather than two rounds of catch-up work.

CTA: Bookmark this page for the next standings update after Matchday 2. We will revise the group picture when the current fixture round is complete.