Key Facts
- Headline fixture. Côte d’Ivoire v Gambia (Group C, one of 12 qualifying groups), both on 6 points, in Bouaké, Ivory Coast, on Thursday, 12 November 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
- Ghana. Ghana, on 0 points after two matches, face Somalia on Thursday, 12 November 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET, with the return on Monday, 16 November, at 10:00 a.m. ET.
- Other six-point meeting. Mali v Rwanda (Group K), both on 6 points, on Friday, 13 November 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
- Schedule. Matchday 3 runs 12–14 November 2026 and Matchday 4 runs 16–17 November, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
- Prediction markets. Polymarket, a crypto-based exchange, priced Côte d’Ivoire at 79.0% and Gambia at 21.8% to win Group C (8:23 a.m. ET, 12 November 2026).
- Finals. The finals run 19 June to 17 July 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
This story is part of our coverage of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
Latest: Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers Resume
Group C Pits Perfect Starts Against Each Other
In the AFCON 2027 qualifiers (the Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s national-team championship), Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Gambia, both on six points after two matches, meet in Bouaké on Thursday, 12 November 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Confederation of African Football (CAF), the continent’s governing body, lists the return fixture in Bakau, Gambia, for Tuesday, 17 November, at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Côte d’Ivoire beat Ghana 2-0 and Somalia 2-0, while Gambia beat Somalia 2-1 and Ghana 4-2. Ghana, whose national team is known as the Black Stars, had led that match by two goals.
Ghana, without a point, face Somalia at 10:00 a.m. ET on the same Thursday, with the return on Monday, 16 November, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has faced increased pressure since the Gambia defeat, during which angry home supporters threw bottles onto the pitch as the match ended.
Other Groups Hinge on Direct Meetings
Mali and Rwanda, both on six points in Group K, meet in Bamako, Mali, on Friday, 13 November 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET. The return in Kigali, Rwanda, is set for Tuesday, 17 November, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Senegal and Mozambique lead Group J with four points each, and Sudan sits one point behind. Senegal face Sudan on Thursday, 12 November, at 2:00 p.m. ET, while Mozambique play Ethiopia on Friday, 13 November, at 8:00 a.m. ET.
Morocco, with a perfect start in Group A, face Niger on Friday, 13 November, at 3:00 p.m. ET. South Africa, who have maximum points in Group D, play co-host Kenya (one of three finals hosts) the same day at 11:00 a.m. ET; Kenya are coached by Benni McCarthy, a former South Africa striker.
Nigeria, on three points in Group L behind leaders Guinea-Bissau on six, play co-host Tanzania on Friday, 13 November, at 11:00 a.m. ET. Guinea-Bissau beat Nigeria 3-0 earlier in the campaign.
In Group B, Egypt and Angola are level on four points, with Malawi on three. Egypt face Malawi on Friday, 13 November, at 2:00 p.m. ET, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), with a perfect record in Group E, meet Sierra Leone on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. ET.
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| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTC | 72,695 | -1.72% | -28.49% | 73,964 | 74,072 | 72,695 | 22,168,852,480 |
| ETH | 2,014 | -2.02% | -40.97% | 2,056 | 2,062 | 2,014 | 8,772,119,552 |
| SOL | 81.92 | -1.68% | -46.51% | 83.32 | 83.68 | 81.92 | 1,981,420,416 |
| XRP | 1.03 | -1.93% | -56.69% | 1.05 | 1.06 | 1.03 | 1,747,913,088 |
| BNB | 658.26 | -3.13% | -30.93% | 679.51 | 681.44 | 658.26 | 845,583,744 |
| ADA | 0.17 | -2.05% | -68.67% | 0.17 | 0.18 | 0.17 | 209,761,952 |
| DOGE | 0.07 | -2.02% | -61.11% | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 547,815,360 |
| AVAX | 8.36 | -1.81% | -50.27% | 8.52 | 8.68 | 8.36 | 256,785,936 |
| LINK | 9.96 | -2.30% | -34.27% | 10.19 | 10.23 | 9.95 | 265,504,592 |
| DOT | 0.83 | -1.61% | -71.71% | 0.84 | 0.85 | 0.83 | 58,696,892 |
| LTC | 49.05 | -2.37% | -49.74% | 50.24 | 50.40 | 48.92 | 227,425,776 |
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| XLM | 0.14 | -1.57% | -47.86% | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 121,551,336 |
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How Qualification Works
Co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda qualify automatically for the finals, which run from 19 June to 17 July 2027. In groups that contain a co-host, the highest-placed other team qualifies, while in the remaining groups the top two go through.
Matchday 3 (the third round of fixtures) spans 12–14 November 2026 and Matchday 4 follows on 16–17 November, taking the group phase past the halfway point. Matchdays 5 and 6 are scheduled for March 2027, and each team plays six matches.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction exchange, showed these Group C winner prices at 8:23 a.m. ET on 12 November 2026: Côte d’Ivoire 79.0%, Gambia 21.8%, Ghana 0.9% and Somalia 0.4%. About US$12,400 had been traded on the market, and the prices are bets, not polls, so they do not add up to exactly 100%.
For Group K, the same exchange priced Mali at 67.5% and Rwanda at 21.9% to win the group. 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
All kick-off times in this article are in US Eastern Time, and Thursday’s first match, Ghana v Somalia, starts at 10:00 a.m. ET. Côte d’Ivoire v Gambia follows at 2:00 p.m. ET.
What Is Not Known
No Matchday 3 result is available yet, and we have no verified injury, squad or official-quote information for the 12 November games. We also found no poll by a named institute.
Sources disagree on some return-leg dates, and we have used the CAF schedule.
Sources
Confederation of African Football (CAF) schedule and match preview; Polymarket market data, read 12 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia play each other?
They meet in Bouaké on Thursday, 12 November 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET. The return fixture in Bakau is on Tuesday, 17 November, at 11:00 a.m. ET, according to CAF.
How many teams qualify from each group?
In groups with a co-host, the highest-placed other team qualifies, and in the rest the top two go through. Co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda qualify automatically.
Where do Ghana stand in the qualifiers?
Ghana have no points after two matches in Group C, following defeats by Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia. They face Somalia on 12 and 16 November.
What do prediction markets say about Group C?
Polymarket priced Côte d’Ivoire at 79.0% and Gambia at 21.8% to win Group C at 8:23 a.m. ET on 12 November 2026. These are bets, not polls.