Overview
- The qualifying campaign began Thursday with 48 nations split into 12 groups playing home-and-away for 24 finals places while co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have automatic berths.
- Ivory Coast hosted Ghana in Bouaké as the headline fixture, featuring Herve Renard in his second spell against Carlos Queiroz in what organisers billed as the marquee opener.
- A wave of managerial changes is in evidence this window, with 21 new coaches including Patrick Vieira for Senegal and Pitso Mosimane for South Africa taking charge of early qualifiers.
- Several teams start the campaign depleted by injuries, retirements or withdrawals, with Ghana missing Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew and Antoine Semenyo and Ivory Coast without Amad Diallo.
- Off-field controversy continues as Senegal’s appeal of CAF’s decision to strip them of the previous AFCON title and award it to Morocco is scheduled for the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 8 and could influence the tournament narrative.