2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round
International football competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The preliminary round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tournament was held from 25 to 31 March 2026. It was contested by the twelve 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification entrants (out of a total of 54 CAF member associations) with the lowest FIFA rankings. The winners advanced to the group stage of the qualification tournament.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25–31 March 2026 |
| Teams | 12 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 25 (2.08 per match) |
| Top scorer |  Bienvenue Kanakimana
 Ali Sulieman (3 goals each) |
← 2025 | |
The twelve teams were split into six ties which were played in home-and-away two-legged format.[1]
Matches
Djibouti  | 0–4 |  South Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| South Sudan | 0–1 | Djibouti |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Akinbinu  77' |
South Sudan won 4–1 on aggregate.
Chad  | 0–4 | Burundi |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Burundi | 4–0 | Chad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Burundi won 8–0 on aggregate.
0–0 on aggregate; Somalia won 4–2 on penalties.
Seychelles  | 0–0 |  Lesotho |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Lesotho won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Eritrea | 2–0 |  Eswatini |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Eswatini | 1–2 | Eritrea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Eritrea won 4–1 on aggregate.
Ethiopia won 4–0 on aggregate.
Goalscorers
There were 25 goals scored in 12 matches, for an average of 2.08 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
Jean Claude Girumugisha- Abdoul Karim Mpawenimana
Abel Yalew
1 goal
- Jordi Liongola
Samuel Akinbinu
Siem Eyob-Abraha
Justice Figuareido- Chernet Gugesa
- Kenean Markneh
Lebohang Lesako- Sera Motebang
Brandon Labrosse
Bangasi Justin- Teng Kuol
- Peter Maker
- Keer Mangar