The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations officially began on Thursday, as the first round of qualifiers kicked off across the continent. The Democratic Republic of Congo picked up where their historic World Cup campaign left off with a comfortable home win, while Mauritania and Namibia also opened with victories — and Libya needed a 96th-minute penalty to rescue a point behind closed doors in Tripoli.
Forty-eight nations are competing in the qualifying campaign, split into twelve groups, with the top two from each group booking a place at the finals in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania next summer. Here is how opening day unfolded.
DR Congo 2-0 Equatorial Guinea: Leopards roar in Kinshasa
DR Congo followed up their World Cup exploits with a 2-0 home win over Equatorial Guinea at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on Thursday. Captain Chancel Mbemba headed home the opening goal in the fourth minute off a free-kick, and Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa added a second 18 minutes from time to seal the points.
The scoreline could have been far more emphatic — the Leopards twice struck the woodwork and had two efforts ruled offside. It was their first game since advancing through the first phase of the World Cup for the first time and running England close in their last-32 tie in Atlanta in July.
However, there was no opportunity for the home supporters to celebrate that achievement properly, as the crowd at the Stade des Martyrs was restricted to 20,000 following sanctions for fan violence after the defeat by Senegal in World Cup qualifying a year ago. Source: Reuters Source: Pepeta
Mauritania 3-1 Central African Republic: Camara chip lights up Casablanca
Mauritania completed the day’s winning trio with a 3-1 victory over 10-man Central African Republic in Casablanca, Morocco, taking early control of Group F. Dawda Camara was among the scorers for the Mourabitounes, producing a superb chipped effort over the goalkeeper.
Central African Republic, coached by 78-year-old Claude Le Roy, finished the game a man down after defender Julien Kouadio was sent off midway through the second half for two yellow cards. It was a losing start to the campaign for the veteran French coach. Source: Reuters Source: Standard Media
Namibia 1-0 Congo: Muzeu strike settles it in Gaborone
Namibia also collected maximum points after edging Congo 1-0 in Gaborone, Botswana, to take an early lead in Group G. It was the PSL-based players who combined for the decisive moment, as Rian Hanamub set up Bethuel Muzeu to fire home the game’s only goal in the 47th minute, shortly after the restart.
Peter Shalulile led the attack for the Brave Warriors, who held firm to secure a winning start to their qualifying campaign. Source: Soccer Laduma Source: Pepeta
Libya 2-2 Botswana: late penalty rescues point behind closed doors
In Tripoli, Libya were forced to settle for a point after drawing 2-2 with Botswana in a match played behind closed doors, where the stadium was also under a ban because of previous supporter violence.
Botswana looked set for a rare away win after striker Tumisang Orebonye scored twice in the first half. But Libya fought back late — Maruwan Alhibeeshi thrashed home from the edge of the area to pull one back in the 87th minute, before substitute Mothusi Cooper gave away a stoppage-time penalty with a clumsy challenge, allowing Ezoo El Mariamy to rescue a draw from the spot in the 96th minute.
It was Libya’s first game since the departure of head coach Morena Ramoreboli, who is now the assistant coach at South Africa. Source: Reuters Source: Soccer Laduma
What comes next: derby night and the road to East Africa 2027
Later on Thursday, two World Cup competitors were in action — Ghana and Ivory Coast met in a derby in Bouake, while Cameroon hosted Comoros. Ghana are desperate for a strong start after missing the 2025 AFCON, ending a run of appearances stretching back to 2006, while Ivory Coast are under the returning Hervé Renard, the Frenchman who guided them to the 2015 title and is back for a second spell — though Manchester United’s Amad Diallo missed out through injury.
Friday brings more heavyweight ties: Nigeria face Madagascar, Morocco take on Gabon, Egypt play Angola, Algeria meet Zambia, and Senegal face Mozambique, before South Africa host Guinea on Saturday.
The qualifiers run across six rounds through March 2027, with the finals — the 36th edition of the tournament — held from June 19 to July 17, 2027, returning to East Africa for the first time in 51 years. Source: Al Jazeera Source: Pulse Ghana
Conclusion
Opening day of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers delivered exactly what the continent’s biggest football competition promises: a statement win from DR Congo, a moment of magic from Mauritania’s Dawda Camara, a hard-fought Namibian triumph, and late drama in Tripoli. With 48 teams chasing 24 places at next summer’s finals in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the long road to East Africa is officially under way.
