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Casablanca – The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will expand from 24 to 28 participating teams beginning with the 2027 edition, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Patrice Motsepe announced on Wednesday during a press conference in Johannesburg.
The decision marks one of the biggest format changes in the tournament’s history and will take effect at the 2027 AFCON, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
“We have increased the number of participants in the next edition of AFCON,” Motsepe said, officially confirming the expansion.
The enlarged competition will introduce a seventh group of four teams, prompting changes to the knockout-stage qualification system.
Under the current 24-team format, the top two teams from each of the six groups, along with the four best third-placed sides, advance to the round of 16.
With 28 teams competing in 2027, the tournament is expected to feature seven groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group, 14 teams in total, will qualify automatically for the knockout stage, joined by the two best third-placed teams to complete the 16-team round of 16.
CAF also confirmed the schedule for the qualification campaign, which will be played across three FIFA international windows:
- Matchdays 1 and 2: September 21 to October 6, 2026
- Matchdays 3 and 4: November 9 to 17, 2026
- Matchdays 5 and 6: March 22 to 30, 2027
Reigning African champions Morocco have been drawn into Group A, where the Atlas Lions will face Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho in their bid to qualify for the expanded tournament.
The expansion reflects CAF’s continued efforts to broaden participation across the continent while increasing the competition’s reach and competitiveness ahead of the East African-hosted edition in 2027.
