The road to a place at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 begins this week with the Preliminary Round qualifiers as 12 teams vie for the six available places in the next round.
The 12 are the lowest ranked teams in the qualifiers according to the FIFA Rankings when the draw was made in January and will compete over two legs to book a place in the Group Stage qualifiers.
Following the incredible success of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, a new cycle will kick-off this week as the race for a place in the next historic continental finals to be staged in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania begins.
With home-and-away fixtures spread across Southern, Eastern and Central Africa, the opening round promises tightly contested encounters as teams look to seize the initiative before the decisive return legs.
Eritrea and Eswatini renew acquaintances in Meknes, where the first leg will be played at the Stade d’Honneur on 25 March. Eswatini will then look to make home advantage count in the second leg at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba on 31 March.
Lesotho and Seychelles will meet on 26 March when they clash at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, before facing off again at the same venue three days later.
Djibouti and South Sudan are also set for a fascinating duel, with both legs scheduled to take place at Juba Stadium. The first meeting is on 26 March, before the sides clash again three days later in what could prove to be a unique contest, with South Sudan enjoying the familiarity of home surroundings across both fixtures.
On 27 March, Somalia face Mauritius in the first leg at Lalgy Arena in Matola, before Mauritius host the return encounter at the National Sports Complex in Saint Pierre on 31 March.
Chad and Burundi will also begin their battle on 27 March when they meet at Stade Olympique in N’Djamena. The return leg in Bujumbura four days later is expected to be equally competitive.
Also on 27 March, Sao Tome e Principe take on Ethiopia in El Jadida before the second leg shifts to Dire Dawa on 31 March.
The six teams that advance will join the 42 other Member Associations of CAF in the Group Phase of qualification ahead of next year’s finals
CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 Preliminary Round Fixtures
Times are GMT
25/03 – 17h00: Eritrea vs Eswatini – Stade d’Honneur, Meknes
31/03 – 14h00: Eswatini vs Eritrea – Somhlolo National Stadium, Lobamba
26/03 – 14h00: Seychelles vs Lesotho – Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
29/03 – 15h00: Lesotho vs Seychelles – Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
26/03 – 13h00: Djibouti vs South Sudan – Juba Stadium, Juba
29/03 – 13h00: South Sudan vs Djibouti – Juba Stadium, Juba
27/03 – 13h00: Somalia vs Mauritius – Lalgy Arena, Matola
31/03 – 15h00: Mauritius vs Somalia – National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre
27/03 – 13h00: Chad vs Burundi – Stade Olympique, N’Djamena
31/03 – 13h00: Burundi vs Chad – Stade Intwari, Bujumbura
27/03 – 16h00: Sao Tome e Principe vs Ethiopia – Ben M’Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida
31/03 – 13h00: Ethiopia vs Sao Tome e Principe – Dire Dawa Stadium
