Africa Cup 2027 qualifying will feature 48 teams in 12 groups

The Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers are framed around three key details: the match schedule, the group standings and the broadcasters. The stated format has 48 teams split into 12 groups, following the addition of sides that came through the preliminary round and four more teams to the 44 highest-ranked selections. Each team will play six home-and-away matches.

At the end of the group stage, the teams finishing in the top two places in each group will qualify directly for the tournament. The three host countries will also take part in the groups, with their places at the tournament already secured.

The details available here do not establish the dates of the 2027 qualifying matches or their broadcasters. For comparison, matches in the 2025 qualifying campaign were shown by beIN Sports and by each country’s local channels on terrestrial television.