Group A — AFCON 2027 qualifiers

Group A of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers brings together Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho.

Morocco is the only side here ranked inside the world top 70, and the gap to Gabon is 78 places. On the draw alone this is a favourite and a field.

The four teams

Teams FIFA ranking AFCON titles Head coach
Morocco Morocco
#6 2 Mohamed Ouahbi
Gabon Gabon
#84 0 Sébastien Migné
Niger Niger
#114 0 Position vacant
Lesotho Lesotho
#146 0 Bob Atang Mafoso
What is still undecided

How many teams go through from this group is not settled. CAF expanded the finals to 28 teams on July 22, 2026 and has not published the qualification mechanism that follows from it. Any site telling you a number today is guessing.

Fixtures by matchday

Matchday 1 · September 21 – October 6, 2026

Niger Niger — Lesotho Lesotho Kick-off: to be confirmed Morocco Morocco — Gabon Gabon Kick-off: to be confirmed

Matchday 2 · September 21 – October 6, 2026

Gabon Gabon — Niger Niger Kick-off: to be confirmed Lesotho Lesotho — Morocco Morocco Kick-off: to be confirmed

Matchday 3 · November 9 – November 17, 2026

Gabon Gabon — Lesotho Lesotho Kick-off: to be confirmed Morocco Morocco — Niger Niger Kick-off: to be confirmed

Matchday 4 · November 9 – November 17, 2026

Niger Niger — Morocco Morocco Kick-off: to be confirmed Lesotho Lesotho — Gabon Gabon Kick-off: to be confirmed

Matchday 5 · March 22 – March 30, 2027

Gabon Gabon — Morocco Morocco Kick-off: to be confirmed Lesotho Lesotho — Niger Niger Kick-off: to be confirmed

Matchday 6 · March 22 – March 30, 2027

Niger Niger — Gabon Gabon Kick-off: to be confirmed Morocco Morocco — Lesotho Lesotho Kick-off: to be confirmed

The other groups

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

Common questions

Which teams are in Group A?
Morocco (#6), Gabon (#84), Niger (#114), Lesotho (#146). The figures are FIFA ranking positions from the list published on July 20, 2026, not the draw pots, which were based on the April 2026 list. 1 side(s) in this group sit inside the world's top 70.
How many teams qualify from Group A?
How many teams go through from this group is not settled. CAF expanded the finals to 28 teams on July 22, 2026 and has not published the qualification mechanism that follows from it. Any site telling you a number today is guessing.
When does Group A play?
Twelve matches: each side plays six, home and away, spread across three international windows — September 21 – October 6, 2026, November 9 – November 17, 2026 and March 22 – March 30, 2027. CAF has published which teams meet on each matchday, but neither the individual dates nor the kick-off times, so we show them as to be confirmed.
Is Group A the toughest?
No. The toughest is Group C, with 2 side(s) from the top 70 and 34 places between its top two. Group A has 1 and a gap of 78. We count contenders rather than adding up rankings: a sum would make a group of four mid-table sides look harder than one with a clear favourite and three outsiders.