AFCON 2027 Qualifiers Matchday 3 Preview: SAST Times

🌍 AFCON 2027 Preview

This AFCON 2027 qualifiers Matchday 3 preview covers the top African teams in action from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 November, with every kick-off in SAST. We have taken the ten highest-ranked African sides in the FIFA rankings: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, DR Congo, Cameroon, Mali and South Africa. That gives ten matches, and Bafana Bafana host Kenya on Friday at 18:00. The return legs are in our Matchday 4 preview.

AFCON 2027 Qualifiers Matchday 3 Preview: Fixtures & SAST Kick-Off Times

CAF publishes its kick-off times in GMT, and South Africa is two hours ahead of GMT, so 16:00 GMT is 18:00 SAST. SuperSport lists some of these games at ten minutes to the hour, which is its broadcast start rather than the kick-off. Kick-off times can still change, so check CAF or your operator’s listing closer to the day.

What’s at Stake in Each Match

The ten teams are ranked by FIFA (the 7 October update) and sit in ten of the twelve qualifying groups. The three co-hosts, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, have already qualified. In a group with a co-host, the highest-placed other team goes through, and in the other groups the top two go through. The table shows each team’s position before kick-off and what a win does, counting points only.

Matchday 3, Thursday 12 November: Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and DR Congo

DR Congo vs Sierra Leone (18:00 SAST). DR Congo lead Group E with two wins from two, 2-0 against Equatorial Guinea and 2-1 against Zimbabwe, and Cédric Bakambu returns to the squad. Sierra Leone have no points after a 3-2 defeat to Zimbabwe and a 1-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea.

Senegal vs Sudan (21:00 SAST). Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique in Patrick Vieira’s first competitive match, then won 1-0 away to Ethiopia through Ibrahim Mbaye. Sudan beat Ethiopia 1-0 and then lost 4-1 to Mozambique. Vieira has left Sadio Mané and Idrissa Gana Gueye out of a youthful squad, and Ismaïla Sarr, Assane Diao and Abdallah Sima are reported to be unavailable for medical reasons. Kalidou Koulibaly, Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye and Boulaye Dia are all in the group, and Krépin Diatta and Dion Lopy return.

Côte d’Ivoire vs Gambia (21:00 SAST). The two sides are level on 6 points at the top of Group C. Côte d’Ivoire beat Ghana 2-0 and Somalia 2-0 under Hervé Renard, and Gambia beat Somalia 2-1 before coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2 against Ghana. The first game is in Bouaké. Renard’s squad includes Franck Kessié, Amad Diallo and Yan Diomandé, and Foot Africa reports that Oumar Solet has chosen Côte d’Ivoire and received his first call-up.

Cameroon vs Namibia (21:00 SAST). Cameroon lead Group G on 4 points after a 3-1 win against Comoros and a 1-1 draw away to Congo, with the equaliser an own goal. Namibia beat Congo 1-0 and then lost 1-0 to Comoros. The return leg is on Monday 16 November.

Matchday 3, Friday 13 November: Nigeria, South Africa, Mali, Egypt and Morocco

Nigeria vs Tanzania (18:00 SAST). Nigeria are second in Group L on 3 points after beating Madagascar 2-1 from a goal down and then losing 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau. The game is at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo. Éric Chelle’s 24-man squad, as listed by notjustok, leaves out Kelechi Iheanacho and does not include Victor Osimhen, with Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Taiwo Awoniyi and Akor Adams among those called up. Tanzania have 1 point and are already qualified as co-hosts.

South Africa vs Kenya (18:00 SAST). Bafana Bafana lead Group D with 6 points after beating Guinea 2-1 and Eritrea 5-0, and Kenya are already qualified as co-hosts. Read our full Bafana Bafana vs Kenya preview for the squad news and what is at stake.

Mali vs Rwanda (21:00 SAST). Mali and Rwanda both have two wins from two. Mali beat Cape Verde 3-1 and Liberia 1-0, and Rwanda beat Liberia 3-1 and Cape Verde 2-1. The first game is in Bamako and the second is in Kigali on Tuesday, so each side hosts one of the two games.

Egypt vs Malawi (21:00 SAST). Egypt drew 0-0 at home to Angola and then beat South Sudan 5-0, and Malawi beat South Sudan 2-1 before losing 3-1 to Angola. The match in Cairo is the first for Ali Maher, who replaced Hossam Hassan as coach on Saturday 7 November. His squad is led by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, with Mahmoud Mamdouh receiving a first call-up after scoring eight goals in eight Egyptian league games.

Morocco vs Niger (22:00 SAST). Morocco have won both of their games, 2-0 against Gabon and 2-0 against Lesotho. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi has recalled Youssef En-Nesyri and given Ayoub Oufkir a first call-up, while Ismaël Saibari, Azzedine Ounahi and Sofyan Amrabat are among those not included. Niger beat Lesotho 2-1 and lost 2-0 to Gabon.

Matchday 3, Saturday 14 November: Algeria vs Togo

Algeria vs Togo (21:00 SAST). Algeria lead Group I on 4 points after beating Zambia 3-1 and coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away to Burundi. Togo have 3 points, with a 1-0 win against Burundi and a 2-0 defeat to Zambia. The game is at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou. Brahim Hemdani has given first call-ups to Abderrahmane Rebbach and Mohamed Azzi, and Rayan Aït-Nouri and goalkeeper Luca Zidane are not in the squad.

Did You Know? AFCON Qualifier Facts

• Two players lead the scoring. Gambia’s Ebrima Colley and Zimbabwe’s Marshall Munetsi have three goals each, more than any other player in the CAF match reports. Colley scored a penalty against Somalia and then two in the 4-2 win in Ghana, and Munetsi scored twice from 2-0 down against Sierra Leone and once more against DR Congo. Marmoush, Mofokeng, Wissa and Mali’s Tia and Dorgeles are among the players on two.
• Eight sides have a perfect record. Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, South Africa, DR Congo, Rwanda, Mali and Guinea-Bissau have won both of their games, according to CAF, and all eight are in action over Matchday 3.
• A first international goal won it for Bafana. Kabini scored the 77th-minute winner against Guinea on his first international goal, according to CAF, in Pitso Mosimane’s first match back in charge.
• Côte d’Ivoire left it late. Yann Gboho broke Somalia’s resistance in the 89th minute, and Bazoumana Touré added a second in stoppage time, according to CAF.
• Algeria recovered from a bad start. They were 2-0 down at Burundi inside 12 minutes, with the first goal an own goal by Farès Chaïbi, and came back to draw 2-2 through Mohamed El Amine Belloumi and Adil Boulbina.
• A World Cup last-16 side has no points. Cape Verde, who reached the round of 16 at this summer’s World Cup, according to Foot Africa, have lost both qualifiers and sit in Mali and Rwanda’s group on 0 points.
• Egypt are also World Cup last-16 sides. Hossam Hassan took them that far last summer, according to CAF, before he was replaced by Ali Maher on 7 November. Egypt are the record seven-time African champions.

How to Watch the AFCON Qualifiers in South Africa

SuperSport’s schedule, published on 10 November, lists selected matches across its channels in sub-Saharan Africa, with times in CAT. Of the Matchday 3 games in this article it names the ones below, and the other matches are not on its list, so their channels are still to be confirmed.

• Cameroon vs Namibia, Thursday: SuperSport Africa ROA
• South Africa vs Kenya, Friday: SuperSport Kickoff SA, PSL, SuperSport Kickoff Africa, GOtv Kickoff, Max1 and Max3
• Nigeria vs Tanzania, Friday: Grandstand, LaLiga, Grandstand Africa, LaLiga Africa, LaLiga Nigeria, SuperSport Swahili and GOtv LaLiga
• Egypt vs Malawi, Friday: SuperSport Africa ROA

We could not confirm which of these channels are on your DStv package, so check the DStv guide or the SuperSport site on the day.

Where to Bet on the AFCON Qualifiers in South Africa

Which markets are offered for each match depends on the operator. See our South African sportsbook comparison to find an operator that suits you, or check individual operator reviews for licensing, bonus and payment details before you sign up. Our Matchday 1 qualifiers article covers how the campaign started.