AFCON 2027 qualifiers
Dire Dawa Stadium cleared to host Ethiopia’s AFCON 2027 qualifying match
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has cleared the Dire Dawa Stadium to host the return leg of the preliminary round of the AFCON 2027 qualifier between Ethiopia and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Bahiru Tilahun, the Secretary General of the Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF) says the match will be played on March 31st.
“The qualifier second leg against São Tomé and Príncipe will be played at Dire Dawa Stadium on March 31, 2026 after a successful CAF inspection,” said Tilahun.
Eritrea who also return to the AFCON qualifiers after some years will take on Eswatini, while Burundi face Chad, Somalia battle Mauritius, and South Sudan tussle it out against Djibouti.
The six winners of the preliminary round ties over two legs will advance to join the other 42 CAF Member Associations in the group stage of the qualifiers.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.
Preliminary round fixture
Djibouti vs South Sudan
Chad vs Burundi
Somalia vs Mauritius
Seychelles vs Lesotho
Eritrea vs Eswatini
Sao Tome & Principe vs Ethiopia
Teams from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Zone Djibouti and South Sudan will face off in the preliminary round of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
The draw for the preliminary round of the qualifiers was conducted on January 13th in Rabat, Morocco. Twelve lowly ranked teams as per the FIFA rankings were drawn.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.
Eritrea who also return to the AFCON qualifiers after some years will take on Eswatini, while Ethiopia will battle Sao Tome & Principe. Burundi will also face Chad in the other match, and Somalia take on Mauritius.
According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the preliminary matches for the qualifiers will be played during the next FIFA International Window, March 25-31 March 2026.
The six winners of the preliminary round ties over two legs will advance to join the other 42 CAF Member Associations in the group stage of the qualifiers.
Preliminary round fixture
Djibouti vs South Sudan
Chad vs Burundi
Somalia vs Mauritius
Seychelles vs Lesotho
Eritrea vs Eswatini
Sao Tome & Principe vs Ethiopia
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