Ivory Coast start AFCON 2027 qualifiers at home to Ghana on Thursday

The reigning African champions begin their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign with a heavyweight clash against Ghana on Thursday at 19:00 in Bouaké, part of a packed regional fixture list spanning three days. The team, also in the thick of World Cup qualifying, approaches this match with a mixed recent record.

Ivory Coast begin the defence of their continental crown on Thursday 24 September at 19:00 in Bouaké, against Ghana, in the first matchday of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. This heavyweight clash kicks off a dense schedule of fixtures running from Thursday to Saturday, with the final tournament set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The national team, currently second in their World Cup qualifying group with six points from three games, approaches this fixture with a recent record of three wins and two defeats from their last five outings. Their last result was a 2-1 defeat to Norway on 30 June. The qualifying schedule is now the central focus. Coach Émerse Faé has called up an experienced squad, relying on players like Seko Fofana and Franck Kessié to provide leadership in midfield. The defence, which conceded two goals in the World Cup qualifying group stage, will be tested by Ghana's attack.

The first matchday schedule

Beyond the Ivorian-Ghanaian duel, Thursday's slate features several other matches starting at 13:00 with Namibia hosting Congo. At 16:00, DR Congo face Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania play the Central African Republic and Libya host Botswana. In the evening, at the same time as the Elephants' match, Sierra Leone host Zimbabwe, Cameroon welcome Comoros and Tunisia play Uganda.

Friday 25 September is equally packed, with Morocco vs Gabon, Egypt vs Angola and Senegal vs Mozambique all scheduled for 19:00. Nigeria host Madagascar at 16:00, while Algeria face Zambia in the evening. The programme concludes on Saturday with Kenya vs Eritrea at 13:00 and South Africa vs Guinea at 16:00. Fans can follow their group's standings as these qualifiers progress. These matches mark the start of a long process to secure one of the qualifying spots for the three-nation tournament.

For the Elephants, the objective is clear: to launch their qualifying campaign perfectly on the path to defending their title. The squad, which has scored four goals and conceded two in the World Cup group stage, must be effective from this first Ghanaian test. A home victory would send a strong signal for the rest of the campaign, especially as Ghana, runners-up in the last AFCON, will be seeking revenge. The Bouaké stadium, an Ivorian fortress, is expected to be full to support the reigning champions.

The original report is at Africa Top Sports