Overview
- Ivory Coast welcome Ghana to Stade de Bouaké for the tournament opener, which kicks off the qualifying programme on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 19:00 GMT.
- Hervé Renard returns as Ivory Coast coach for his second spell while Carlos Queiroz leads Ghana, underlining a wave of managerial change that includes about 21 new appointments across Africa.
- Ghana travel to Bouaké without key players, with Tottenham midfielder Mohammed Kudus omitted through injury and other absences leaving Queiroz with a weakened attack.
- The qualifiers feature 48 teams split into 12 groups playing a six-round home-and-away format across FIFA windows, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania already qualified as co‑hosts for the 24-team finals in June–July 2027.
- Off the pitch, CAF's decision to reassign the previous AFCON title to Morocco remains contested and Senegal's appeal will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 8, a dispute that could shape perceptions of continental governance during qualifying.