The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has conducted the draw for the tournament’s Preliminary Round, setting six direct match-ups that will launch the qualification process.
The 2027 edition, uniquely named “AFCON Pamoja,” will be jointly hosted by three East African nations: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Swahili word “Pamoja,” meaning “Together,” has been chosen to symbolize this tri-nation cooperation and the unifying spirit of African football.
Before the main qualification groups are formed, the lowest-ranked member associations must navigate this initial stage. The winners of these two-legged ties will advance to join the continent’s higher-ranked teams in the group stage of qualifying.
The Preliminary Round fixtures are as follows:
· Djibouti vs South Sudan
· Chad vs Burundi
Somalia vs Mauritius
Seychelles vs Lesotho
Eritrea vs Eswatini
São Tomé and Príncipe vs Ethiopia
These home-and-away matches will be the first competitive steps toward a place in the 2027 finals. For the nations involved, it represents an early and crucial opportunity to build momentum and keep their dreams of reaching the Pamoja tournament alive.
The focus now shifts to these twelve teams as they prepare for their early encounters.