The race for places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA will intensify in November as African national teams return for Matchdays 3 and 4 of the qualifying campaign.
The fixtures, scheduled between November 12 and 17, 2026, will take the group stage beyond its halfway point, with several early leaders facing direct rivals in crucial home-and-away encounters.
Following the opening two rounds, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, South Africa, DR Congo, Rwanda, Mali and Guinea-Bissau are among the teams to have made strong starts. However, several groups remain closely contested, leaving little room for mistakes.
Key Group Battles
One of the standout contests will come in Group C, where Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia, both with maximum points from their opening matches, will meet twice. The first encounter will take place in Côte d’Ivoire before the return fixture in Gambia.
Ghana face a difficult challenge against Somalia in the same group. The Black Stars are yet to earn a point after two matches and will be under pressure to revive their campaign.
Group K also promises an intriguing contest, with Mali and Rwanda both on six points. The teams will meet in Bamako before renewing their rivalry in Kigali.
In Group J, Senegal and Mozambique lead the standings with four points each, while Sudan have three. Senegal’s meetings with Sudan and Mozambique’s double-header against Ethiopia could influence the group’s qualification picture.
Morocco, South Africa and DR Congo Target More Wins
Morocco will seek to maintain their perfect start in Group A when they face Niger twice.
Group B remains competitive, with Egypt and Angola level on four points and Malawi one point behind. Their November fixtures could create further movement in the standings.
South Africa, who have won both opening matches in Group D, face co-hosts Kenya in a double-header. Kenya, coached by former Bafana Bafana striker Benni McCarthy, will be looking to challenge the group leaders.
DR Congo will also aim to preserve their flawless record in Group E when they take on Sierra Leone over two legs.
Elsewhere, Groups F, G, H and I remain open. Cameroon, Uganda and Algeria lead their respective groups, while Benin and Burkina Faso are level at the top of Group F.
In Group L, Guinea-Bissau lead with six points from two matches, while Nigeria are second on three. The Super Eagles will face co-hosts Tanzania home and away as they seek to strengthen their qualification prospects.
AFCON 2027 Qualification Format
Co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have automatically secured places at AFCON 2027, regardless of their final positions in the qualifying groups.
In groups containing one of the host nations, the highest-placed team apart from the host will also qualify. In all other groups, the top two teams will advance to the tournament.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Matchday 3 Fixtures
All kick-off times are in GMT.
Thursday, November 12
- Group C: Ghana v Somalia – 15:00
- Group C: Côte d’Ivoire v Gambia – 19:00
- Group D: Guinea v Eritrea – 16:00
- Group E: DR Congo v Sierra Leone – 16:00
- Group E: Equatorial Guinea v Zimbabwe – 16:00
- Group F: Benin v Central African Republic – 19:00
- Group G: Cameroon v Namibia – 19:00
- Group J: Senegal v Sudan – 19:00
- Group L: Madagascar v Guinea-Bissau – 16:00
Friday, November 13
- Group A: Gabon v Lesotho – 16:00
- Group A: Morocco v Niger – 20:00
- Group B: Egypt v Malawi – 19:00
- Group D: South Africa v Kenya – 16:00
- Group F: Burkina Faso v Mauritania – 16:00
- Group G: Comoros v Congo – 13:00
- Group H: Tunisia v Libya – 16:00
- Group I: Zambia v Burundi – 13:00
- Group J: Mozambique v Ethiopia – 13:00
- Group K: Cape Verde v Liberia – 16:00
- Group K: Mali v Rwanda – 19:00
- Group L: Nigeria v Tanzania – 16:00
Saturday, November 14
- Group B: Angola v South Sudan – 19:00
- Group H: Uganda v Botswana – 16:00
- Group I: Algeria v Togo – 19:00
Matchday 4 Fixtures
All kick-off times are in GMT.
Monday, November 16
- Group C: Somalia v Ghana – 15:00
- Group D: Eritrea v Guinea – 16:00
- Group E: Zimbabwe v Equatorial Guinea – 13:00
- Group F: Central African Republic v Benin – 16:00
- Group G: Namibia v Cameroon – 13:00
- Group J: Sudan v Senegal – 13:00
Tuesday, November 17
- Group A: Lesotho v Gabon – 13:00
- Group A: Niger v Morocco – 20:00
- Group B: Malawi v Egypt – 13:00
- Group B: South Sudan v Angola – 13:00
- Group C: Gambia v Côte d’Ivoire – 16:00
- Group D: Kenya v South Africa – 16:00
- Group E: Sierra Leone v DR Congo – 16:00
- Group F: Mauritania v Burkina Faso – 19:00
- Group G: Congo v Comoros – 19:00
- Group H: Libya v Tunisia – 16:00
- Group H: Botswana v Uganda – 19:00
- Group I: Burundi v Zambia – 13:00
- Group I: Togo v Algeria – 16:00
- Group J: Ethiopia v Mozambique – 13:00
- Group K: Rwanda v Mali – 19:00
- Group K: Liberia v Cape Verde – 19:00
- Group L: Tanzania v Nigeria – 13:00
- Group L: Guinea-Bissau v Madagascar – 16:00
With four of the six qualifying matchdays completed after this window, the November fixtures are expected to provide a clearer picture of the teams best positioned to reach the 2027 tournament.
