Sports
AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: DR Congo, Ivory Coast Open Campaign With Victories as Cameroon Also Wins
September 25, 2026 | Sports
The race for places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has officially begun, with several of Africa's leading football nations making winning starts in the opening round of qualifying.
DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2–0, while Côte d’Ivoire beat Ghana 2–0 in a highly anticipated West African clash. Cameroon also opened its campaign with a 3–1 victory over Comoros.
The 2027 tournament will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with the competition scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027.
DR Congo 2–0 Equatorial Guinea
DR Congo made a strong start at home against Equatorial Guinea, securing all three points with goals from Chancel Mbemba and Yoane Wissa.
Mbemba put the Leopards ahead in the fourth minute before Wissa added the second goal in the 72nd minute.
The victory gives DR Congo three points from its opening Group D fixture and provides an early boost as the team begins its qualification campaign.
The result also continues the momentum surrounding the Congolese national team after its recent World Cup campaign, although AFCON qualification will involve a separate six-match group process.
Côte d’Ivoire 2–0 Ghana
One of the most anticipated opening fixtures produced a convincing result for Côte d’Ivoire, which defeated regional rivals Ghana 2–0 in Bouaké.
Brighton striker Malick Yalcouyé opened the scoring in the 44th minute, marking an impressive debut for the Ivorian senior side.
Captain Franck Kessié then doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 58th minute after Yalcouyé had been fouled inside the penalty area.
The victory puts Côte d’Ivoire in an early position of strength in Group C, which also includes Gambia and Somalia.
Ghana, meanwhile, will need to recover in its subsequent matches if it is to secure one of the available qualification places.
Cameroon Also Starts With a Win
Cameroon joined the opening-day winners after defeating Comoros 3–1.
The Indomitable Lions established their advantage through goals from D. Nyengue, Bryan Mbeumo and David Namaso, while Comoros scored through W. Omari.
The result gives Cameroon an early three points as the qualifying campaign gets underway.
Other Results From the Opening Round
The first day produced several dramatic results across the continent.
Thursday's results included:
- DR Congo 2–0 Equatorial Guinea
- Côte d’Ivoire 2–0 Ghana
- Cameroon 3–1 Comoros
- Mauritania 3–1 Central African Republic
- Namibia 1–0 Congo
- Zimbabwe 3–2 Sierra Leone
- Libya 2–2 Botswana
- Tunisia 1–1 Uganda
The biggest comeback came in the Sierra Leone-Zimbabwe match. Sierra Leone established a two-goal lead before Zimbabwe scored three times in the second half to complete a 3–2 comeback.
Nigeria Begins Its Campaign Against Madagascar
Attention now turns to several other major African football nations.
Nigeria is scheduled to face Madagascar on Friday, September 25, as the Super Eagles begin their own qualification campaign.
Other notable Friday fixtures include Egypt vs Angola, Morocco vs Gabon, Algeria vs Zambia, Senegal vs Mozambique and Mali vs Cape Verde.
Nigeria's match is scheduled for 16:00 GMT, according to the published fixture schedule.
How AFCON 2027 Qualification Works
A total of 48 national teams are involved in the qualifying competition.
The teams are divided into 12 groups, with each side playing six matches in a home-and-away format.
Generally, the top two teams in each group will qualify for the tournament. There is a special qualification arrangement for groups containing the three co-hosts — Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania — because those nations have already secured places as hosts.
The qualification rounds are scheduled as follows:
- Rounds 1–2: September 21–October 6, 2026
- Rounds 3–4: November 9–17, 2026
- Rounds 5–6: March 22–30, 2027
AFCON 2027 Tournament
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be the 36th edition of the continental championship.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will jointly host the tournament, marking the return of AFCON to East Africa for the first time in more than five decades.
The finals are scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, across venues in the three host countries.
Verified Note
| Information Verification status | |
| DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2–0 | Confirmed |
| Côte d’Ivoire defeated Ghana 2–0 | Confirmed |
| Cameroon defeated Comoros 3–1 | Confirmed |
| Mbemba and Wissa scored for DR Congo | Confirmed |
| Yalcouyé and Kessié scored for Côte d’Ivoire | Confirmed |
| Nigeria faces Madagascar on September 25 | Confirmed fixture |
| AFCON 2027 will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania | Confirmed |
| AFCON 2027 runs from June 19–July 17, 2027 | Confirmed |
The opening round has already produced several significant results, with DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon collecting three points.
For Côte d’Ivoire, the 2–0 victory over Ghana gives the Elephants an important early advantage in Group C, while DR Congo's clean-sheet victory over Equatorial Guinea provides a positive start to its campaign.
The qualifying race is only beginning, however, with several heavyweight African teams yet to play their opening fixtures.
Sources: Al Jazeera/Reuters, Ahram Online, beIN Sports and other corroborating football reports.