Bafana Bafana are among the early pace-setters in 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, while several of the continent’s heavyweights are already under pressure after the opening two rounds.
South Africa have made the perfect start in Group D, following a 2-1 win over Guinea with a 5-0 victory against Eritrea to move onto six points. Guinea sit second on three after beating Kenya 1-0, while Kenya and Eritrea have one point each.
With Kenya already qualified as one of the three co-hosts, only the highest-placed team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea will join them at the finals. That leaves Bafana three points clear of their main rivals Guinea with four matches remaining.
GROUP D
South Africa – 6
Guinea – 3
Kenya – 1
Eritrea – 1
Elsewhere, DR Congo have also taken maximum points, winning their opening two Group E matches to move onto six points ahead of Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, who have three each.
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Guinea-Bissau have produced one of the biggest surprises of the qualifiers, beating Nigeria 3-0 to take control of Group L with a perfect record. The result has left the Super Eagles facing early pressure in a group where Tanzania are already assured of their AFCON place as co-hosts.
Ghana have also endured a difficult start. The Black Stars remain without a point in Group C after surrendering a two-goal lead in a 4-2 defeat against The Gambia, while Côte d’Ivoire are among the teams to have opened with successive victories.
Morocco, The Gambia, Rwanda, Mali and Guinea-Bissau are among the other nations to have won their first two qualifiers, while Egypt, Senegal and Algeria remain unbeaten despite dropping points.
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The qualifiers resume in November, when Bafana host Kenya and Guinea face Eritrea in the next round of Group D fixtures.
Photo: Zamani Makautsi/Gallo Images
