Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Gambia national football team has been drawn in a challenging Group C alongside Ghana national football team, Ivory Coast national football team and Somalia national football team for the qualifiers of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The draw was conducted on Tuesday in Cairo by the Confederation of African Football, with 48 countries divided into 12 groups of four teams each.
The top two teams from every group will secure qualification for the continental tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
For The Gambia, the draw presents another major test as the Scorpions seek to strengthen their growing reputation in African football following their historic qualification for the 2021 AFCON tournament in Cameroon, where they reached the quarterfinals on their debut appearance.
The Scorpions will face stiff competition from Côte d’Ivoire, the reigning African champions, and Ghana, one of the continent’s traditional football powers, although the Black Stars are attempting to rebuild after failing to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
Ghana finished bottom of their previous qualifying group after managing three draws and three defeats, a disappointing campaign that intensified pressure on the four-time African champions.
Somalia, meanwhile, will be aiming to qualify for the AFCON finals for the first time in the country’s history.
According to CAF, the qualification campaign will begin in September 2026 and run until October 2027.
The opening round of fixtures is scheduled for September 2026, while Matchdays Three and Four will be played in October 2026. The qualifiers will resume in March 2027 before concluding with the final matches in October 2027.
The 2027 edition of the AFCON will also make history as the first tournament to be hosted by three East African nations.
Leave a Reply