Morocco drawn with Gabon, Niger and Lesotho in 2027 AFCON qualifiers

Confederation of African Football conducted the draw Tuesday for the qualification campaign of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, placing Morocco national football team in Group A alongside Gabon national football team, Niger national football team and Lesotho national football team.

The draw ceremony took place at CAF headquarters in Cairo ahead of the tournament scheduled to be hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the summer of 2027.

Morocco, one of Africa’s leading football nations in recent years, will begin a new qualifying campaign seeking to maintain its strong continental presence and challenge for the African title.

The qualifiers will feature 48 national teams divided into 12 groups. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the tournament finals, which are scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

Although Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already secured qualification as hosts, they will still participate in the qualifying matches to prepare competitively for the tournament.

CAF based the draw on the latest FIFA rankings, with teams distributed across four pots.

Among the notable groups, defending African champions Ivory Coast national football team were drawn with Ghana national football team, Gambia national football team and Somalia national football team in Group C.

Senegal national football team will face Mozambique national football team, Sudan national football team and Ethiopia national football team in Group J.

Other major contenders include Algeria national football team in Group I, Nigeria national football team in Group L and Cameroon national football team in Group G.

The full draw reflects the increasingly competitive landscape of African football, with several traditionally strong teams placed outside the top seeding pot despite recent international success, including qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.