Africa: Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers Begin With 2025 Champions Still Undecided
[RFI] Qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations get underway on Thursday, with a heavyweight clash between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire the pick of the bunch. Meanwhile, top sports lawyers are preparing to thrash out whether Senegal or Morocco won the 2025 edition of the tournament.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers commenced on Thursday, with the highly anticipated match between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire featuring prominently. The tournament is set to take place in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17, with 24 out of the 48 teams qualifying.
Senegal was initially awarded the 2025 title following their 1-0 victory over Morocco on January 18, 2026, at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. However, Morocco was later declared the champions on March 17 after Senegal's football federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over alleged rule violations. The CAS panel will review the case on October 8 and announce its decision in November.
Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, who participated in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, are favored to advance from Group C, which also includes Gambia and Somalia. Meanwhile, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, who both reached the last-32 knockout round at the 2026 World Cup, will face stiff competition from the other teams in their respective groups.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
