The Confederation of African Football has released the official draw for the CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2027 qualifiers

The draw, conducted at CAF headquarters on Tuesday, was later posted on the body’s X handle.

The first round consists of 14 two-legged ties.

Matches will be played as follows:

Sierra Leone vs Burkina Faso

Mauritania vs DR Congo

São Tomé vs Equatorial Guinea

Togo vs Libya

Tunisia vs Benin

Kenya vs Tanzania

Djibouti vs South Sudan

Ethiopia vs Uganda

Rwanda vs Sudan

Comoros vs Madagascar

Angola vs Namibia

Seychelles vs Botswana

Malawi vs Eswatini

Zimbabwe vs Mauritius

First legs are scheduled for September 28, 2026, with return legs on October 6, 2026.

Winners of these ties will advance to the second round, where they will face higher-ranked or seeded teams.

The second-round pairings are:

Winner of Sierra Leone/Burkina Faso vs Zambia

Winner of Mauritania/DR Congo vs Nigeria

Winner of São Tomé/Equatorial Guinea vs Niger

Winner of Togo/Libya vs Ghana

Winner of Tunisia/Benin vs Gabon

Winner of Kenya/Tanzania vs Côte d’Ivoire

Winner of Djibouti/South Sudan vs Senegal

Winner of Ethiopia/Uganda vs Morocco

Winner of Rwanda/Sudan vs Cameroon

Winner of Comoros/Madagascar vs South Africa

Winner of Angola/Namibia vs Congo

Winner of Seychelles/Botswana vs Guinea

Winner of Malawi/Eswatini vs Algeria

Winner of Zimbabwe/Mauritius vs Mali

Second-round first legs will take place on November 9, 2026, with second legs on November 17, 2026.

A total of 42 nations are competing for the seven remaining places at the 2027 finals in Egypt, which will also serve as Africa’s pathway to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Egypt has already qualified automatically as hosts. (The PUNCH)