The race for places at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is taking shape as 48 teams continue to compete across 12 groups in the qualifying series.

After the first three matches, Morocco, Ivory Coast, DR Congo and Mali have established themselves as group leaders with maximum points, while several other groups have tight contests for the top positions.

The top two teams in each of the 12 groups will qualify for the expanded 24-team tournament, scheduled to hold from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have automatically qualified as co-hosts. This means that in Groups D, H and L, only the highest-placed team among the other three nations will qualify.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles occupy second place in Group L with six points, one behind leaders Guinea-Bissau, who have seven points.

The Eagles began their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar in Uyo but suffered a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their second match.

They returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Tanzania in Uyo, taking their points tally to six from three matches.

However, to qualify, the Eagles will need to finish ahead of Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar in the group standings, given that Tanzania, as a co-host, have automatic qualification.

Below are the top two teams in each group after three matches:

Group A

  1. Morocco – 9 points
  2. Gabon – 6 points

Group B

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  1. Egypt – 7 points
  2. Angola – 7 points

Group C

  1. Ivory Coast – 9 points
  2. The Gambia – 6 points

Group D

  1. South Africa – 7 points
  2. Guinea – 6 points

Group E

  1. DR Congo – 9 points
  2. Zimbabwe – 4 points

Group F

  1. Benin – 7 points
  2. Burkina Faso – 7 points

Group G

  1. Cameroon – 7 points
  2. Comoros – 4 points

Group H

  1. Uganda – 5 points
  2. Libya – 4 points

Group I

  1. Algeria – 7 points
  2. Zambia – 4 points

Group J

  1. Senegal – 7 points
  2. Mozambique – 6 points

Group K

  1. Mali – 9 points
  2. Rwanda – 6 points

Group L

  1. Guinea-Bissau – 7 points
  2. Nigeria – 6 points

Saheed Oyelakin

Saheed is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over two years of experience covering metro, technology, sports, politics, and human-interest stories. He focuses on producing clear, engaging reports across diverse beats. Saheed’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate and balanced journalism.

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Source: Punch · Saheed Oyelakin

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