McCarthy, who took charge of Kenya in March 2025, will also serve as a BBC pundit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup before returning his focus to AFCON preparations. The prospect of the Bafana icon facing his home country will add an extra edge to what promises to be a compelling group.
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The 2027 AFCON will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027 – meaning Kenya enter the qualifiers as co-hosts with automatic qualification already secured.
The top two from each group will qualify for the finals. Qualifying matches begin in September 2026 and run through to March 2027.
Bafana exited the previous AFCON in the Last 16 after a defeat to Cameroon in Rabat. But for now Hugo Broos’ side remain firmly focused on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they face Mexico in the tournament opener on 11 June at the Estadio Azteca.
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Full AFCON 2027 qualifying draw:
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Gambia, Somalia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group E: DR Congo, 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
Photo: REUTERS/Esa Alexander
