Overview:
So far, eight nations remained perfect after two match rounds including reigning champions Morocco, Rwanda, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, South Africa, DR Congo, Mali and Guinea Bissau.
The Pamoja 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations group stages qualifying campaign got underway last week and at the moment, nearly all have played at least two matches save for Malawi and Angola in Group B as well as Kenya and Guinea in Group D.
The quartet will be in action before end of the extended international window with Guinea hosting Kenya in Conakry on October 1 while Angola and Malawi face off on October 6 in Luanda.
So far, eight nations remained perfect after two match rounds including reigning champions Morocco, Rwanda, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, South Africa, DR Congo, Mali and Guinea Bissau.
Here is a group-by-group account of all the TWELVE (12) groups as 21 nations target joining co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for the tournament slated for June 19 – July 17, 2026.
Group A – Perfect for Morocco while Gabon and Niger follow closely
Morocco are the only side with maximum points in Group A following 2-0 victories over Gabon and Lesotho home and away respectively.
Gabon recovered from a false start by beating Niger 2-1 in Libreville moving to three points, same as Niger who opened their account with a 2-1 win over Lesotho who are rooted to the bottom with two defeats in as many matches.
Group B – Egypt leads but Malawi, Angola could leapfrog them
Record Afcon winners Egypt started on a slow note drawing goalless with Angola in Cairo but recovered with a 5-0 win over South Sudan in Juba to move top of the group with four points.
Malawi, 2-1 winners over South Sudan in Blantyre in the opening match will face Angola on October 6 while South Sudan remain winless after two losses.
Group C – Ivory Coast, The Gambia perfect, Ghana winless
Ivory Coast and The Gambia have made a perfect start with six points from as many available following victories over Ghana and Somalia.
Four-time African winners, the Black Stars of Ghana are at the base of the table with zero points leaving Carlos Queiroz under immense pressure especially after that 4-2 home defeat against Gambia in a game they led 2-0 at one point.
Group D – Bafana Bafana in early lead
Pitso Mosimane’s South Africa have taken an early lead in the group with two wins in two matches including a 5-0 win away to Eritrea at neutral Cairo.
With only one nation joining co-hosts Kenya, who face Guinea in Conakry on Thursday October 1, the Sly Nationale must win to keep South Africa in check.
Group E – DR Congo lead, Zimbabwe follow closely
Sebastien Desabre’s DR Congo Leopards are top with maximum points following victories over Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.
The Warriors of Zimbabwe and the Equatorial Guinea are closely three points behind after beating Sierra Leone who are bottom with no point at this stage.
Group F – Tight contest between Burkina Faso, Benin and Mauritania
It is one of the tightest groups after match day two with Benin and Burkina Faso on four points while Mauritania just a point behind leaving Central Africa Republic the only side without a point.
Benin and Burkina Faso held each other but won against Mauritania and CAR respectively while Mauritania beat the latter 3-1 in their opening match.
Group G – Cameroon take slight lead
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are topping with 4 points after being held by Claude Le Roy’s Congo Brazzaville who picked their first point after an opening day loss to Namibia.
The Cameroon had beaten Comoros 3-1 earlier while Comoros also beat Namibia to keep the group a tight contest.
Group H – Uganda lead, others winless
Co-hosts Uganda are on top with four points after a draw and win to Tunisia and Libya respectively.
The group has two teams; Botswana and Tunisia on two points each while Libya are bottom with one.
Only the highest ranked team after match day six will qualify alongside Uganda Cranes.
Group I – Only a point separates top from third
Another evenly contested group with Algeria topping by a point on four followed by Zambia and Togo on three each.
The 2019 Afcon winners Algeria were stunningly held by Burundi and they had to come from two goals down to draw 2-2 in Bujumbura.
Zambia beat Togo after losing 3-1 to Algeria while the Sparrow Hawks overcame Burundi 1-0.
Group J – Senegal, Mozambique lead Sudan by a point
Patrick Vieira’s Senegal are on four points after being held by Mozambique and then won against 1-0 away to Ethiopia.
The Mambas draw with the 2021 winners was followed by a comfortable 4-1 win over Sudan who also beat Ethiopia 1-0 to claim their first three points.
Ethiopia remain the only nation without a point in the group.
Group K – Rwanda, Mali take early charge
Rwanda’s home and wins against Liberia and Cape Verde have given them a great start to the qualifiers and are top of Group K.
Mali’s Eagles are also on six points after wins over the same opponents; Liberia and Cape Verde who are without a point at the moment.
Group L – Guinea-Bissau lead Nigeria
In a group where only one country will join co-hosts Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau have started in the best possible way with two wins including beating rivals for the position Nigeria 3-0.
The Super Eagles are on 3 points after struggling to overcome Madagascar 2-1 in their first game.
Both Tanzania and Madagascar are one point after they drew the game against each other.
