2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Zimbabwe-DRC and Tunisia-Botswana open the 2nd matchday on September 28
The second matchday of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers opens on Monday, September 28, 2026, with four encounters: Central African Republic vs. Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea vs. Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe vs. the Democratic Republic of Congo at 6:00 PM, followed by Tunisia vs. Botswana at 9:00 PM (Paris time), according to Foot Mercato.
Group E: A clash for the top spot
The most anticipated duel of the evening pits Zimbabwe against the DR Congo, as both teams won their opening matches. The Leopards secured a 2-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea, and the Warriors defeated Sierra Leone 3-2, according to Le360 Afrique. The DR Congo leads the group on goal difference (+2 compared to +1); the winner will take sole possession of the top spot. In the group's other match, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone, both still without a point, are already facing high stakes.
Group F: Burkina Faso seeks its first victory
The Stallions face the Central African Republic with only one point on the board following their 1-1 draw against Benin. The Wild Beasts, meanwhile, are coming off a 3-1 defeat in Mauritania and have yet to earn a point, also according to Le360 Afrique. Mauritania, the only team in the group to have won, leads with three points.
Group H: Four teams in a perfect tie
No group is tighter. Tunisia was held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda, and Libya shared the points with Botswana (2-2); all four teams have one point and a zero goal difference. The Carthage Eagles, accustomed to final tournaments, are therefore playing a match at home that they cannot afford to miss.
The rest of the schedule runs until October 6, 2026, with Tuesday, September 29, featuring seventeen matches alone, reports Kawarji.
This expanded format benefits football on the continent: so-called modest teams play high-stakes matches against major nations, which helps their players improve and attracts broadcasters to fixtures that were long ignored. Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic, or Botswana do not have the resources of Morocco or Egypt; they now have a clear path to the final tournament on the pitch. That is also what continental solidarity is about: a calendar that gives everyone a chance.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
