The AFCON 2027 qualifiers have reached Matchday 2 of the group stage, with 12 groups consisting of four teams each competing in a round-robin format. The fixtures for Matchday 2 will be played through October 6, following the first matchday that took place on September 24-26 during the same FIFA international window. A special rule applies to groups featuring the host nations of the final tournament: Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have already qualified for AFCON 2027 as hosts.
In Group J, Ethiopia will face Senegal on September 29, with both teams looking to bounce back from disappointing starts to their qualifying campaigns. Ethiopia suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sudan, while Senegal were held to a 1-1 draw by Mozambique in Patrick Vieira’s first official match in charge. Senegal will be without Sadio Mané, and attention in attack will be on the star Premier League trio of Nicolas Jackson, Ismaïla Sarr, and Iliman Ndiaye.
Another key matchup is between Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria in Group L, where only one ticket is available due to Tanzania's participation as a host. Both national teams won their opening matches: Guinea-Bissau defeated Tanzania 2-0, and Nigeria beat Madagascar 2-1. Nigeria will feature without Victor Osimhen, and Éric Chelle will count on Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze to secure a win.
Ghana will host Gambia in Group F, with Gambia continuing their story after reaching the quarterfinals of AFCON 2021 in their debut appearance at the tournament. Ghana are favored to win, with AfroPari odds at 1.38, while Gambia has odds of 8.2. Zambia will face Togo in Group E, with Zambia being the AFCON 2012 champion and Togo having competed in the 2006 World Cup.
Cape Verde will host Rwanda in Group D, with Cape Verde having made their World Cup debut in 2026 and advanced to the Round of 32. However, their start in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers was disappointing, a 3-1 loss to Mali. Rwanda began their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Liberia and now heads to Praia with three points.
Other Matchday 2 fixtures include Madagascar vs Tanzania, Benin vs Mauritania, Congo vs Cameroon, South Sudan vs Egypt, Lesotho vs Morocco, and Somalia vs Côte d’Ivoire. The qualifiers are heating up, with teams vying for a spot in the AFCON 2027 tournament.
The Grand Football Quest, a promotion by AfroPari, will run from September 2026 through May 2027, with three stages determining the reward level based on the number of successful bets placed on the best football tournaments. The more qualifying bets placed, the better the prize, up to $50.
Key points
- Ethiopia vs Senegal and Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria are key matchups in Matchday 2 of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
- Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda have already qualified for AFCON 2027 as hosts.
- The Grand Football Quest promotion by AfroPari offers a prize of up to $50 for successful bets on football tournaments.
