Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers Resume

Six Days of Qualifying Begin Thursday

The AFCON 2027 qualifiers resume on Thursday, Nov. 12, when Matchdays 3 and 4 of the Africa Cup of Nations, Africa’s top national-team tournament, begin. They run through Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the continent’s governing body.

Each of the 12 qualifying groups has four teams, and the finals will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027. Those three co-hosts qualify automatically, so by our count from CAF’s format 21 places remain.

In a group that contains a co-host, the highest-placed other team qualifies, while in the other groups the top two go through. The last two rounds are set for March 22-30, 2027, according to CAF.

Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire Headline Thursday

Ghana, four-time African champions, have no points in Group C after two matches. They face Somalia at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 12, and again at 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 16.

In the same group, Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia, both on six points, meet in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, at 2:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 12. The return is in Bakau, Gambia, at 11:00 a.m. ET on Nov. 17, with Hervé Renard, a French coach, leading Côte d’Ivoire and Johnathan McKinstry, a former Uganda coach, leading Gambia.

Senegal, on four points in Group J, meet Sudan, who are one point behind, at 2:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 12. Mozambique also have four points and play Ethiopia in back-to-back games.

Friday Brings Mali, Morocco and Nigeria

On Friday, Nov. 13, Mali and Rwanda, both on six points in Group K, meet in Bamako, the Malian capital, at 2:00 p.m. ET. The return is at 2:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 17.

Morocco, who lead Group A, face Niger at 3:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 13 and again at 3:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 17. South Africa, who have maximum points in Group D, play co-hosts Kenya at 11:00 a.m. ET on Nov. 13, with the return at 11:00 a.m. ET on Nov. 17.

Kenya are led by Benni McCarthy, a former South Africa striker. Nigeria, on three points in Group L, meet co-hosts Tanzania at 11:00 a.m. ET on Nov. 13 and again at 8:00 a.m. ET on Nov. 17.

Guinea-Bissau lead Group L with six points. Because Tanzania are already through, only the top finisher among Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar will qualify.

Where the Other Groups Stand

In Group B, Egypt and Angola have four points each and Malawi three. DR Congo (the Democratic Republic of Congo) have a perfect record in Group E and meet Sierra Leone at 11:00 a.m. ET on Nov. 12.

Cameroon lead Group G, Uganda Group H and Algeria Group I, and Benin and Burkina Faso are level at the top of Group F. Uganda play Botswana at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 14, and Algeria meet Togo at 2:00 p.m. ET the same day. These standings come from CAF’s preview after Matchday 2 and may change once Thursday’s games are played.

What Prediction Markets Say

Polymarket, a real-money forecasting platform, prices South Africa at 68.5% to win Group D, with Guinea at 27.5% and Kenya at 2.4% (US$21,476 traded). In Group L it prices Nigeria at 60.0% and Guinea-Bissau at 45.0% (US$15,595 traded).

The Group L prices are separate bets, so they do not add up to 100%. Prices were read at 10:34 a.m. ET on Nov. 11; they are bets, not polls.

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

Kick-offs fall between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET. We converted them from GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), the time CAF uses, which is five hours ahead of US Eastern Time.

We found no confirmed US broadcaster or stream for this window. Check CAF’s match centre at CAFonline.com for viewing options and schedule changes.

What Is Not Known

We found no new suspension, venue change or ruling dated Nov. 10-11, so this is a preview rather than a report on a new development. Official venues for most fixtures are not confirmed.

CAF lists Madagascar v Guinea-Bissau on Nov. 12 and Gabon v Lesotho on Nov. 13. Eric Chelle, Nigeria’s coach, has named his squad, and the availability of winger Samuel Chukwueze is unconfirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers resume?

Matchdays 3 and 4 run from Thursday, Nov. 12, to Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The first game listed is Ghana v Somalia at 10:00 a.m. ET.

How many places are still available for the finals?

By our count from CAF’s format, 21 places remain across the 12 groups, because Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda qualify automatically as co-hosts. In groups with a co-host the highest-placed other team goes through, and in the rest the top two do.

When and where are the 2027 finals?

CAF says the finals will be held in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027. The last two qualifying rounds come first, on March 22-30, 2027.

Sources: Confederation of African Football (CAF) match-centre previews of Nov. 3 and Oct. 2, 2026; Polymarket.

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