The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations begins this week, with 48 nations set to battle across 12 groups for places at the tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The qualifying campaign kicks off on Thursday, September 24, with 24 matches scheduled across the opening two matchdays, which will run until October 6.

One of the biggest fixtures on Matchday One will see Côte d’Ivoire take on Ghana in a heavyweight West African clash in Bouaké.

The Elephants begin a new chapter under returning coach Hervé Renard, while Ghana have recalled several players who missed the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Cameroon host Comoros, DR Congo face Equatorial Guinea, while Sierra Leone take on Zimbabwe. Co-hosts Uganda will begin their campaign away to Tunisia, with Libya hosting Botswana.

The action continues on Friday with several of Africa's leading nations entering the race.

Morocco host Gabon in Rabat, while seven-time African champions Egypt welcome Angola. Algeria will face Zambia, Burkina Faso take on Benin, and Senegal begin their campaign at home against Mozambique.

Attention will also be on the Super Eagles, who open their Group L campaign against Madagascar on Friday.

Nigeria will be without star striker Victor Osimhen, who has been ruled out of the opening two qualifiers with a muscle injury. The Super Eagles will be hoping to make a strong start as they target a place at the 2027 finals.

In other Friday fixtures, Mali face Cape Verde, Rwanda host Liberia, while Sudan take on Ethiopia.

The opening round concludes on Saturday with South Africa hosting Guinea, while co-hosts Kenya face Eritrea.

The match will also mark Pitso Mosimane's first competitive game since returning for a third spell as South Africa coach.

A total of 48 teams have been divided into 12 groups of four, with qualification decided over six matchdays.

The top two teams in each group will normally qualify for the finals. However, Groups D, H and L have a different arrangement because Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are already guaranteed places as co-hosts. In those groups, only the highest-ranked team outside the host nation will qualify.

The qualifying campaign will resume in November before the final two rounds are played in March 2027.

The 2027 AFCON finals will take place from June 19 to July 17, marking a historic tournament as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda become the first three nations to jointly host the Africa Cup of Nations.

The tournament's theme, PAMOJA, meaning “Together” in Swahili, reflects the joint-hosting concept and CAF's vision of using football to promote unity and cooperation across the continent.