Coaching turnover in focus as qualifying for Afcon 2027 gets under way
New and returning national coaches are the focal point as qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations begins on Thursday, with 48 remaining teams entering the opening two rounds of an extended international window for the tournament to be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The international window will feature two qualifying rounds starting this week, two further matchdays in November and the final two fixtures in March, with the top two in nine of the 12 groups progressing to the 24-team finals; the three hosts are guaranteed qualification so only one spot is available in each of their groups, meaning a second-placed finish may not guarantee passage.
Herve Renard, 57, returns to the Ivory Coast for a second spell and will start at home against Ghana on Thursday, while Carlos Queiroz has resumed as Ghana coach after guiding the Black Stars to the last 32 at the World Cup; Tottenham's Mohammed Kudus is among players to withdraw from the Ghana squad. Patrick Vieira, 50, has taken charge of Senegal — the country of his birth — calling the role "an absolute dream", and will begin with away games against Mozambique and Ethiopia because Dakar is preparing to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.
Cape Verde, who extended Argentina in the 2026 World Cup last-32 tie before losing 3-2 after extra time, have seen long-serving coach Bubista resign with former assistant Humberto Bettencourt promoted and due to begin his reign away in Mali on Friday before hosting Rwanda on Tuesday. Claude Le Roy, 78, has rejoined Congo-Brazzaville for a second stint and is aiming to coach at a record-extending 10th edition of the Afcon finals.
Several North and southern African teams have also changed managers since the World Cup: Tunisia have appointed former Esperance and Renaissance Berkane boss Moin Chaaban after Sabri Lamouchi was dismissed after one game and Herve Renard failed to orchestrate a revival; Pitso Mosimane has been reappointed by South Africa 14 years after his last spell in charge; and Brahim Hemdani has taken over Algeria following Vladmir Petkovic's departure. Burkina Faso have appointed ex-Comoros boss Amir Abdou, while Aliou Cisse — the 2021 Afcon-winning coach — has his first competitive matches in charge of Angola and starts with a tough away assignment in Egypt.
Several high-profile internationals have retired or stepped away since the World Cup. Edouard Mendy has hung up his gloves after helping the Teranga Lions to the 2021 and 2025 titles, the latter of which is still disputed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Riyad Mahrez has quit international football, Ivory Coast will be without Seko Fofana and Jean-Michael Seri, Ellyes Skhiri has retired from Tunisia duty, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has stepped back from Gabon, saying he felt "humiliated" by his treatment; he was excluded from the national team set-up after their group-stage exit, that sanction was later lifted, but he ruled himself out of Sebastien Migne's Panthers squad despite his fine start to the season with Deportivo La Coruna.
Eritrea returned to the group stage after defeating Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round in March, but seven Eritrea players absconded after the away leg held in South Africa; the Red Sea Camels have been drawn with Kenya, South Africa and Guinea in Group D and have named just three home-based players for their opening two fixtures, which see them face the tournament co-hosts in Nairobi on Saturday before a "home" game against Bafana Bafana in Cairo on Tuesday. Somalia have reached the group stage of qualifying for the first time and will play Ivory Coast, Ghana and The Gambia while the Ocean Stars sit 53rd on the continent as the finals return to East Africa for the first time since 1976.
The immediate calendar features the standout opening fixture of Ivory Coast hosting Ghana on Thursday under Renard, Cape Verde beginning their campaign in Mali on Friday, and Eritrea facing the co-hosts in Nairobi on Saturday; the qualifying window continues with further group matches in November and the concluding fixtures scheduled for March.
