Harambee Stars will battle South Africa’s national soccer team, Guinea’s national football team, and Eritrea’s national football team in Group D of the PAMOJA AFCON 2027 qualifiers after CAF conducted the draw in Cairo, Egypt.
The Kenyan national team has already secured automatic qualification as one of the AFCON 2027 hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania, but CAF rules still require the Harambee Stars to participate in the qualifiers as part of preparations for the tournament.
The 2027 edition will be the first Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by three countries. The tournament will be held from June 19 to July 17, 2027, under the banner “PAMOJA” a Swahili word for “TOGETHER”
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Harambee Stars will use the matches to test its progress against stronger African sides ahead of hosting the continent’s biggest football event.
Group D FIFA Rankings
| Team | FIFA Ranking |
|---|---|
| South Africa | 60 |
| Guinea | 80 |
| Kenya | 111 |
| Eritrea | 184 |
Preliminary Round Draw
Before the group stage begins, CAF confirmed several lower-ranked nations will play preliminary qualification matches, such as the following:
| Match | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Match 1 | Chad vs Sao Tome |
| Match 2 | Djibouti vs Eswatini |
| Match 3 | Somalia vs Botswana |
| Match 4 | South Sudan vs Mauritius |
| Match 5 | Seychelles vs Gambia |
The winners will advance to the main qualification groups.
Under CAF rules, if Kenya finishes top of Group D, the second-placed team will qualify automatically. If Kenya finishes outside first place, only the group winner will secure a ticket to AFCON 2027.