AFCON 2027: Tanzania Suffers Early Defeat, Rwanda and DRC Claim Wins

Tanzania have made a difficult start to the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign after losing 2-0 to Guinea-Bissau, while Uganda drew with Tunisia and Rwanda and DR Congo recorded victories as the race for next year’s tournament got underway across Africa.

The first two matchdays of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers began on September 24, with 48 nations competing across 12 groups for places at the tournament, which will be hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

Tanzania were among the first East African sides to take the field, but failed to use home advantage as Guinea-Bissau secured a 2-0 victory. F. Djú opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before M. Baldé doubled Guinea-Bissau’s advantage in the 58th.

The result does not affect Tanzania’s qualification for the finals. As one of the three co-hosts, Tanzania have already secured an automatic place at AFCON 2027. However, the Taifa Stars are still participating in the qualifying competition, with the highest-ranked team among the other sides in Group L also set to qualify. Tanzania’s group contains Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Uganda, another co-host, began its campaign with a 1-1 draw against Tunisia. Tunisia took the lead through A. Arous in the 12th minute before Uganda’s R. Mato equalised in the 68th. Uganda are in Group H alongside Tunisia, Libya and Botswana.

Kenya, the third co-host, are scheduled to begin their campaign on Saturday, September 26, against fellow East African side Eritrea. The match will be played in Group D, which also contains South Africa and Guinea.

Rwanda provided one of the stronger results for the region, defeating Liberia 3-1 in Group K. A. Biramahire scored after just two minutes, while L. Mickels added another in the 33rd minute and J. Mickels converted a penalty before half-time. Liberia scored once through S. Nimely, but could not recover.

DR Congo also opened with a victory, defeating Equatorial Guinea 2-0. Chancel Mbemba put the Leopards ahead in the fourth minute before Yoane Wissa added the second in the 72nd. DR Congo are in Group E with Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.

Other East African sides had a tougher opening. Burundi lost 1-0 away to Togo, Somalia were beaten 2-1 by The Gambia, and South Sudan suffered a 2-1 defeat against Malawi. Ethiopia also lost 1-0 to Sudan.

The opening results leave the region with a mixed early picture. Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya remain certain to appear at the 2027 finals because of their hosting status, but the performances of the three co-hosts will still be closely followed as they use the qualifying campaign to prepare for the tournament on home soil.

The qualification campaign continues through October 6 for the opening two matchdays before returning in November. The final two rounds are scheduled for March 2027, with AFCON 2027 set to bring the continental tournament back to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976.