Gambia — AFCON 2027
Gambia start their road to AFCON 2027 from Group C, sitting 116 in the FIFA ranking.
#116
C
0
2
FIFA ranking as of July 20, 2026.
Group C and how it looks
Gambia sit 85 places below Ivory Coast in the ranking.
This is the hardest draw of the twelve. Ivory Coast and Ghana both arrive inside the world top 70, 34 places apart, with 7 titles between them. One of them will not go through.
| Group C | FIFA ranking | Head coach |
|---|---|---|
| #31 | Position vacant | |
| #65 | Position vacant | |
 Gambia
|
#116 | Johnny McKinstry |
| #199 | Yusuf Ali Nur |
Head coach
Gambia are coached by Johnny McKinstry.
Record at the Africa Cup of Nations
Gambia have never won the tournament.
Qualifying fixtures
| Matchday | Matches | Match window | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 – October 6, 2026 | to be confirmed | |
| 2 | September 21 – October 6, 2026 | to be confirmed | |
| 3 | November 9 – November 17, 2026 | to be confirmed | |
| 4 | November 9 – November 17, 2026 | to be confirmed | |
| 5 | March 22 – March 30, 2027 | to be confirmed | |
| 6 | March 22 – March 30, 2027 | to be confirmed |
CAF has published the pairings and the international windows, but not the individual kick-off dates and times. Those are shown as to be confirmed rather than guessed.
Common questions
- Who does Gambia play in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers?
- Group C, against Ivory Coast (#31), Ghana (#65), Somalia (#199). Six matches in total, three at home and three 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 the pairings and the windows, but neither the individual dates nor the kick-off times.
- What does Gambia need to qualify for AFCON 2027?
- Nobody can say yet. On July 22, 2026 CAF grew the finals from 24 teams to 28 without publishing the qualification mechanism that has to follow. The old arithmetic — two through from each group — no longer adds up with four extra places. We have left the number blank rather than guess it.
- Why does the ranking shown here not match the draw pots?
- The draw on May 19, 2026 used the FIFA ranking as it stood in April 2026. The figures on this page come from the list published on July 20, 2026, and teams have moved between those two dates. Gambia currently sits at #116. The next FIFA update is due on October 7, 2026, during the first qualifying window.
- Where can I watch Gambia?
- No broadcaster is confirmed for 2027 in this country yet. Rights to the 2027 edition are almost entirely unsold: the lists published elsewhere describe the 2025 tournament in Morocco. Our country pages state which edition each broadcaster is confirmed for.