Amavubi drawn against Mali, Cape Verde in AFCON 2027 qualifiers

Rwanda’s Amavubi face a tough 2027 AFCON qualifying challenge after drawing Mali, Cape Verde and Liberia in Group K during Tuesday’s official CAF draw.

The draw officially launched the road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

Rwanda’s group is expected to be highly competitive.

Mali enters the campaign as favorite after recent strong performances on the continent and consistent FIFA rankings.

Cape Verde, meanwhile, continues to rise in African football and recently impressed during World Cup qualifying campaigns and AFCON tournaments.

Liberia will also aim to rebuild under newly appointed coach Adil Mohamed Erradi.

For Rwanda, qualification would mark a historic milestone since their memorable first-ever appearance at the 2004 AFCON tournament.

Elsewhere, defending champions Morocco national football team were handed a favorable Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.

Morocco will start as overwhelming favorites after dominating recent African competitions and becoming the first African nation to reach a FIFA World Cup semifinal in 2022.

One of the biggest clashes of the qualifiers will come in Group C, where Ivory Coast national football team face rivals Ghana national football team in what many analysts already describe as the toughest group of the campaign.

Senegal national football team, Algeria national football team, Nigeria national football team and Cameroon national football team also appear well-positioned to qualify from their respective groups.

The 2027 tournament will mark a historic moment for East African football. It will be the first time the AFCON finals are jointly hosted by three countries from the CECAFA region.

Kenya previously hosted the tournament in 1987 but lost hosting rights for the 1996 edition due to lack of infrastructure.

Uganda remains one of Africa’s historic football nations, having reached the AFCON final in 1978, while Tanzania continues rebuilding its football profile after returning to AFCON in 2019 following a 39-year absence.

All three host nations automatically qualify for the final tournament but will still participate in qualifying matches for competition and preparation purposes.

In groups containing a host country, only one qualification spot will be available for the remaining teams.

The qualification campaign will begin in September 2026, with the top two teams from most groups advancing to the tournament, except groups featuring host nations.

The final phase is expected to showcase Africa’s best football talent across modernized stadiums in Nairobi, Kampala and Dar es Salaam.

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