As soon as the draw for the qualifiers of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals was done on May 19, 2026 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, many Kenyans took to social media questioning why the country, which has automatically qualified for the tournament, still has to play in the qualifiers.
Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will co-host the 2027 Afcon from June 19 to July 17, 2027. Consequently, the three East African nations are guaranteed places at the tournament.
However, they will still participate in the qualification campaign scheduled to run between September 21, 2026 and March 30, 2027.
Kenya was pooled in Group “D” alongside South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea. Uganda are in Group “H” with 2004 champions Tunisia, Libya, and Botswana while Tanzania were drawn in Group “L” alongside Nigeria, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau.
However, in groups featuring co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the three countries will automatically qualify alongside one additional team.
So, why are the three host nations taking part in the qualifiers despite automatically qualifying for Afcon 2027?
Previously, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which is the football governing body in Africa, exempted Afcon finals hosts from the tournament’s qualification campaign.
Harambee Stars physiotherapist Musa Hamisi leads players in a work-out during their training session at the Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi, on November 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation
However, a CAF Executive Committee meeting in January 2015 changed the format of the qualifiers by including the host nation in the campaign.
“For the first time, the host country will participate in the qualifying stages. Though the matches concerned will not be computed for points, they shall count as friendly matches,” a statement issued by CAF says.
The 2017 Afcon finals in Gabon became the first edition in which the host nation participated in the qualifiers despite being assured of a place in the finals.
Drawn in Group “I” with Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Sudan, Gabon’s results in the qualifiers did not count towards the final group standings.
However, from the next edition in 2019, CAF started factoring in the host nation’s results when computing the final group standings.
Despite being guaranteed a spot at the 2019 finals as the host nation, Egypt finished second in Group “J” of the qualifiers with 13 points, two behind leaders Tunisia.
In the qualifiers for the 2021 edition, hosts Cameroon delivered a strong performance, topping Group “F” with 11 points while Cape Verde finished second with 10 points. In the qualifiers for the 2023 edition, hosts Cote d’Ivoire also put up a strong showing, finishing second in Group “H” with 13 points while Zambia qualified as the top team with 13 points and a superior goal difference.
It was the same case in the 2025 qualifiers in which host nation Morocco led Group “B” with 18 points while Gabon finished second with 10 points.
The 2027 Afcon co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are not as strong as the previous three host nations, and some fans are worried that deserving teams that finish above the three countries in the qualifiers will miss out on a place at the finals at their expense. Although guaranteed automatic qualification to 2027 Afcon, the three host nations will use the qualifiers to prepare better for the tournament.
