The draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Pamoja were made known with West African giants Ghana and Ivory Coast paired together in the most trick of the twelve groups.
Ghana missed last edition held in Morocco and will now face Ivory Coast in Group C as well as The Gambia and minnows Somalia in the road to East Africa.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the next Afcon, which will be held from 19 June to 17 July 2027, the first time three nations will host the most prestigious tournament on the continent.
With three host nations already qualified, only one other team in their respective groups will book a ticket.
Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia all have little margin for error after being drawn alongside one of the three hosts.
Kenya will face Eritrea, Guinea and South Africa in Group A, Nigeria face Tanzania, Madagascar and Guinea Bissau in Group L while Tunisia are in the same Group H, with Uganda, Libya and Botswana.
Elsewhere, record seven-time champions Egypt have been drawn alongside Angola, Malawi and South Sudan.
The first four rounds of qualifying will be spread across September, October and November this year, with the final two fixtures to be held in March next year.
Full Afcon 2027 qualifying draw
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo-Brazzaville
Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau
Matchdays one and two: 21 September to 6 October 2026
Matchdays three and four: 9-17 November 2026
Matchdays five and six: 22-30 March 202
