{
  "id": 9531004,
  "title": "AFCON qualifiers to kick-off as decision on last winners awaited",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/afcon-qualifiers-to-kick-off-as-decision-on-last-winners-awaited",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-24T09:19:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghanaian Times",
    "slug": "ghanaian-times",
    "url": "https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/afcon-qualifiers-to-kick-off-as-decision-on-last-winners-awaited/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers commenced as the winners of the last edition remain undecided. The continent's largest football tournament is being jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, with a total of 48 nations participating in 12 groups. Over six rounds, running until March next year, only the top two teams from nine groups will progress to the finals, which will be held from June 19-July 17, 2027.\n\nPatrick Vieira, the coach of Senegal, now leads the team after their controversial loss to Morocco in the 2021 final. Senegal is appealing the Confederation of African Football's decision, with the case set to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 8. Morocco emerged as the best-performing African team at the 2022 World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals, and have begun their Group A qualifiers at home against Gabon in Rabat.\n\nAs the qualifiers start, several teams will play at neutral venues due to inadequate stadiums. Tunisia, for example, has made significant changes to their squad, retaining only 14 players from the 2022 World Cup. Patrick Vieira's new team, Senegal, opens their Group J campaign against Mozambique in Maputo tomorrow, with Sadio Mane among the absent key players from the previous World Cup. Tunisia's new coach, Moin Chaabani, leads them against Uganda in Group H today in their bid to extend their record of 18 consecutive finals appearances.",
  "summary": "A new cycle of Africa Cup of Nations competition gets under way in earnest today as group qualifiers for the 2027 finals kick off, with the winners of the last edition still in dispute. A total of 48 countries are divided into 12 groups and begin a six-round qualifying process running to March next year, … The post AFCON qualifiers to kick-off as decision on last winners awaited appeared first on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}