Warriors Set for 2027 AFCON Qualifiers Battle After Drawing DRC, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone in Group E
Hope
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially confirmed the draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, with Zimbabwe’s national team, the Warriors, handed a challenging Group E in their bid to reach the continental tournament.
The Warriors will compete against Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Equatorial Guinea in what is expected to be a highly competitive qualifying group.
CAF confirmed that the qualification campaign will begin in September 2026, with teams competing across three FIFA International Match Calendar windows as they fight for a place at the finals. Group winners, along with the best-ranked runners-up, will advance to the 2027 AFCON tournament.
The qualifiers will be played in three stages: Matchdays 1 and 2 will run from 21 September to 6 October 2026, followed by Matchdays 3 and 4 from 9 to 17 November 2026, and the final round of group fixtures, Matchdays 5 and 6, set for 22 to 30 March 2027.
Across the continent, the draw has produced several strong groups, with giants such as Morocco, Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Cameroon, Senegal, and Nigeria all featuring in their respective pools.
Full AFCON Qualifiers Draw:
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Lesotho, Niger
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Gambia, Somalia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group E: DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo
Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau
The 2027 AFCON finals will be hosted jointly by Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, and are scheduled to run from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Zimbabwe will now turn their attention to preparing for a tough qualification campaign, with the Warriors aiming to overcome strong opposition and secure a return to Africa’s biggest football stage.
