AFCON 2025 : Qualifiers to start on September 21,2026.

Organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), 48 nations have been drawn into 12 groups of four and will play across three FIFA windows:

Matchdays 1 and 2 from September 21 to October 6, 2026, Matchdays 3 and 4 from November 9 to 17, 2026, and the final Matchdays 5 and 6 from March 22 to 30, 2027.

In most groups the top two teams will advance to the 24-team tournament, but because Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania are co-hosts and already qualified, only one additional team will qualify from each of their groups.

The finals, branded TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, are set for June 19 to July 17, 2027 in East Africa.