Countdown to Pamoja AFCON 2027: Harambee Stars Learn Seeding as Draw Date is Set
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13, 2026 – The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is officially taking shape.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the highly anticipated draw for the AFCON Pamoja 2027 qualifiers will be conducted on Tuesday, May 19.
As co-hosts of this historic Pamoja(Together) edition, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have already secured their places as the first three teams qualified for the final tournament.
However, in accordance with CAF regulations, all three hosts will still participate in the qualifying group stages to stay competitive ahead of the 2027 kickoff.
Kenya has been placed in Pot C, a seeding based on the latest FIFA World Rankings.
Under the draw mechanics, teams in the same pot cannot be drawn against each other.
This means the Harambee Stars will avoid the following 11 nations in the group stage, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan (Cecafa), Libya, Niger, Mauritania, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Namibia, Malawi (COSAFA)
A total of 48 national teams will enter the qualifying race, divided into 12 groups of four.
While the typical rule allows the top two teams from each group to qualify, the groups containing the co-hosts (Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) will operate differently, only one additional team from those specific groups will secure a ticket to join the hosts at the finals.
The Pamoja AFCON 2027 marks the first time in history that the continental showpiece will be hosted across three nations.
With the government recently remitting the USD 30 million hosting fee and infrastructure projects at Nyayo and Kasarani stadiums entering an accelerated implementation phase, the May 19 draw effectively signals the start of the final countdown.
For Coach Benni McCarthy and the Harambee Stars, the goal remains to use the qualifiers to build a squad capable of not just hosting, but dominating, when the rest of Africa arrives in East Africa in June 2027.
Key Qualifying Windows:
September – October 2026: Matchdays 1 & 2
November 2026: Matchdays 3 & 4
March 2027: Final Matchdays 5 & 6
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