Published Monday, 9 November, 2:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. Lagos) · Source: Confederation of African Football (CAF), PolymarketAfrica’s national teams return on Thursday, Nov. 12, for two more rounds of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and most games kick off in the US morning.
Our AFCON 2027 qualifiers guide has the groups and dates.Key Facts
This story is part of our coverage of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
- What: The third and fourth rounds of qualifying (Matchdays 3 and 4) run Nov. 12 to 17, with 24 games each.
- First kickoff: Ghana v Somalia at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 12; the last is Niger v Morocco at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
- Finals: June 19 to July 17, 2027, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, who qualify automatically as co-hosts of the tournament.
- Prediction markets: Polymarket, a real-money prediction market, prices Morocco at 32.5% and Senegal at 29.1% to win the title (read 9 November).
In plain English
Qualifying is played in 12 groups, and teams meet their group rivals home and away. CAF is the Confederation of African Football, the continent’s governing body. Kickoff times here are US Eastern Time (ET); CAF lists them in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), five hours ahead of ET.
Kickoff Times in Eastern Time
Ghana play Somalia at 10 a.m. ET on Nov. 12. Côte d’Ivoire against Gambia, Cameroon against Namibia and Senegal against Sudan follow at 2 p.m. ET the same day.
On Friday, Nov. 13, South Africa play Kenya and Nigeria play Tanzania at 11 a.m. ET, while Mali play Rwanda and Egypt play Malawi at 2 p.m. ET. Morocco face Niger at 3 p.m. ET.
Algeria face Togo at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 14. Matchday 4 follows on Monday, Nov. 16, and Tuesday, Nov. 17, when the return games are played, with Sudan against Senegal at 8 a.m. ET on Nov. 16.
What Is at Stake in the Groups
In groups that include a co-host, the highest-placed other team qualifies, while elsewhere the top two go through. Qualifying groups are lettered A to L. In Group C, Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia have six points each, and Ghana have none after two games.
In Group K, Mali and Rwanda are unbeaten on six points. In Group L, Guinea-Bissau lead on six points and Nigeria are second on three before two games against co-hosts Tanzania.
In Group B, Egypt and Angola have four points and Malawi three. In Group J, Senegal and Mozambique have four points and Sudan three.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, the prediction market, has South Africa are priced at 66.5% to win Group D, Nigeria at 55.5% to win Group L and Egypt at 67% to win Group B. Côte d’Ivoire are at 76% in Group C, with US$12,063 traded there, and the title market has traded US$21,551. Those prices were read on 9 November, and the volumes are small.
They are bets, not forecasts. Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely.
We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for US Readers
Most kickoffs fall between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET, so the games can be followed during the US working day. The tournament also leads to the 2027 finals in East Africa next summer.
What Is Not Known
CAF names stadiums only for Côte d’Ivoire v Gambia in Bouaké (Côte d’Ivoire) and the return in Bakau (Gambia), with Mali v Rwanda in Bamako (Mali) and Kigali (Rwanda); other venues are not confirmed. We could not confirm a US broadcaster for these games, and CAF gives no points totals for Groups D to I beyond naming the leaders.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the next AFCON qualifiers start and end?
Matchday 3 begins on Thursday, Nov. 12, with Ghana against Somalia at 10 a.m. ET. Matchday 4 ends on Tuesday, Nov. 17, with Niger against Morocco at 3 p.m. ET.
Which teams have already qualified for the finals?
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the co-hosts, qualify automatically. All other places are decided in the groups.
Sources: Confederation of African Football (CAF), Polymarket.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error