AFCON 2027 qualifiers: Côte d’Ivoire beat Ghana on a busy opening round
Morocco, Algeria and Cameroon won, Egypt and Senegal were held, and Guinea-Bissau stunned co-hosts Tanzania. Here is the matchday one gist.
By John Christian Mmaduabuchi, Chief Editor
· · 2 min read
- Côte d'Ivoire beat Ghana 2-0 in Bouaké in the pick of the opening games
- Egypt were held 0-0 by Angola; Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique
- Top two qualify from most groups, but only one from host groups D, H and L
The gist in 30 seconds
- Côte d'Ivoire beat Ghana 2-0 in Bouaké in the pick of the opening games
- Egypt were held 0-0 by Angola; Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique
- Top two qualify from most groups, but only one from host groups D, H and L
The road to the Pamoja AFCON, the first Africa Cup of Nations to be shared by three countries, is officially open. Matchday one of the 2027 qualifiers ran from Thursday, 24 September to Saturday, 26 September, and it did not take long for the continent’s big names to make headlines.
The standout fixture was in Bouaké, where Côte d’Ivoire beat Ghana 2-0 in Group C. It is an early blow for the Black Stars in a group that also includes The Gambia and Somalia, with The Gambia beating Somalia 2-1 in the other game.
Wins, draws and a comeback
- Morocco beat Gabon 2-0 and Algeria saw off Zambia 3-1.
- Cameroon beat Comoros 3-1, Mali beat Cape Verde 3-1 and DR Congo beat Equatorial Guinea 2-0.
- South Africa edged Guinea 2-1, and Mauritania beat the Central African Republic 3-1.
- Egypt were held 0-0 by Angola, and Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique.
- Zimbabwe produced the comeback of the round, beating Sierra Leone 3-2 after trailing 2-0.
Two of the three co-hosts also began their campaigns with draws: Kenya drew 1-1 with Eritrea, and Uganda and Tunisia finished 1-1. The third, Tanzania, lost 2-0 at home to Guinea-Bissau.
How qualification works
The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four. In most groups the top two qualify, but Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are already through as hosts, so in their groups (D, H and L) only the best-placed team other than the host goes to the finals. Nigeria are in Group L, which means only one of Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar will make it. Nigeria began with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar in Uyo, but Guinea-Bissau’s result in Tanzania puts them top on goal difference.
For West African fans, the Côte d’Ivoire result is the one to watch. Only the top two in Group C will qualify, and Ghana now have ground to make up after losing their opening game.
What next: Matchday two follows this week. Madagascar play Tanzania on Tuesday, 29 September, before Nigeria visit Group L leaders Guinea-Bissau at 5pm WAT the same day.
Sources
We checked this story against these sources. How we check
- CAF: Group-by-group: How the AFCON PAMOJA 2027 qualifying race stands after Matchday One
- CAF: ROAD to AFCON 2027: TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 Qualifiers take centre stage as Matchdays 1 and 2 kick-off
- BusinessDay: AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Matchday one group-by-group review
- Africa Soccer: Full summary of results and standings after the AFCON 2027 qualifiers Matchday 1
- Blueprint: AFCON 2027 qualifiers: Ivory Coast, Cameroon win, Sierra Leone surrender 2-goal lead *Full results
- CAF: TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 MD 1 & 2 Qualifiers Fixtures, Kick-off Times and Venues
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John Christian Mmaduabuchi is a Nigerian filmmaker, creative director, and media professional with extensive experience in digital storytelling, visual journalism, and contemporary media. His Journalism interests span Nigerian and African current affairs, entertainment, culture, technology, lifestyle, media, and the people shaping public conversation. With a background in film direction and documentary production, he brings a strong visual and narrative perspective to editorial work, with particular attention to context, clarity, and compelling storytelling. John is also a creative entrepreneur focused on storytelling, entertainment, culture, and digital content. His professional experience across directing, cinematography, editing, media strategy, and emerging AI technologies gives him a broad understanding of how stories are created, distributed, and consumed in the digital age. At GistMatrix, John contributes to the development and presentation of timely, engaging, and relevant stories for a contemporary audience. His approach to editorial work is grounded in accuracy, context, responsible storytelling, and a commitment to covering stories that matter.
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