2027 AFCON: Cameroon handed tricky qualifying path.

The ceremony was held in Cairo in Egypt on Tuesday with the 48 participating selections pooled across 12 groups of four teams each. 

The exercise also included Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania which will jointly host the final tournament between June and July next year. The selections were pooled across groups D, H and L respectively.

Per the format of the qualifying tournament, the three host countries will qualify from their respective pools alongside the top finishers in those groups. The top two teams in the nine other groups will also qualify to form the 24-nation contingent of the final tournament.

Tricky pairing for Cameroon 

The Indomitable Lions’ pairing has been described as a tricky one by Cameroonian football connoisseurs despite the fact that none of the three opponents is ranked among Africa’s contemporary football heavyweights.

Namibia has appeared in the final phase of the competition three times with the Brave Warriors’ finest performance being their run to the round of 16 phase in the 2023 showpiece in Cote d’Ivoire.

Comoros Island has featured in the event twice with their best showing being their drive to the round of 16 phase of the 2021 event in Cameroon in their debut appearance in the competition.

Congo Brazzaville emerged as winners of the event during the 1972 edition in Cameroon and placed fourth in the 1974 series in Egypt two years later. 

But the Red Devils have not reached the final phase of the since their impressive ride to the quarterfinals in next door Equatorial Guinea in 2015. 

But there are reasons for Cameroonians to be afraid. The fear is sourced mainly from the history that Cameroon has with the three selections.

The last time that Cameroon met with Congo Brazzaville in the qualifiers to the AFCON showpiece, the country denied the Indomitable Lions a place in the finals of the ensuing tournament. That was in the race to the 1978 event. 

The selection eliminated Cameroon in the first round of the series after stunning the Indomitable Lions with a 4-2 aggregate beating in the series which also served as the African qualifiers to the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

The shocking October 1977 aggregate defeat which included a 2nil loss suffered by Cameroon in Yaounde in the second leg of the series, came just five years after the Congolese stunned Cameroon in Yaounde in the semifinals of the 1972 AFCON. 

Cameroon which is eyeing its 23rd appearance in the AFCON finals, has met Namibia in the last two qualifying tournaments of the competition.

In the race to the 2025 edition, the Indomitable Lions managed a 1nil victory over the southern Africans in the first leg but were forced to play out a goalless draw with the team in the return fixture. 

During the qualifying campaign to the 2023 showpiece, the Brave Warriors forced Cameroon to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Yaounde and handed the selection a 2-1 beating in the away fixture.

Cameroon faced tough times before managing a 2-1 victory over a Coronavirus-depleted Comoros Island team in the round of 16 phase of the 2021 AFCON at home. 

Other groups 

Disputed defending champions, Morocco are paired in Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho while record seven-time winners Egypt headline Group B which also comprises of Angola, Malawi and South Sudan.

Three-time winners Cote d’Ivoire lead Group C which is believed to be one of the toughest pools. The group is made up of four-time champions Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia.

South Africa leads Group D where it is joined by Guinea Conakry, Kenya and Eritrea with two-time winners DR Congo fronting Group E’s contingent which equally comprises of Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. 

Group F includes Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania and the Central African Republic while Tunisia anchors Group H where it is accompanied by Uganda, Libya and Botswana.

Algeria headlines Group I where it is joined by Zambia, Togo and Burundi with controversial 2025 finalists, Senegal the favorite in Group J which is completed by Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia.

The Eagles of Mali are in Group J alongside Cabo Verde, Rwanda and Liberia while three-time tile holders Nigeria are accompanied in Group L by Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea Bissau.

The qualifiers will be played across three windows between September this year and March next year. The opening window will run from September 21 to October 6.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3794 of Thursday May 21, 2026