It is Benni McCarthy vs Bafana Bafana! South Africa legend to lead Kenya against Mzansi in 2027 AFCON Qualifiers

Benni McCarthy’s Kenya and Bafana Bafana have been pooled together in Group D of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers (AFCON).

Co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have already qualified meaning the pool with those nations will have an extra slot for the biennial competition. A total of 48 teams are set to compete for the AFCON slots where 24 nations will be chasing the crown.

McCarthy has been doing quite well with the Harambee Stars since taking over in March 2025. With Hugo Broos set to leave after the 2026 World Cup, it is interesting to see who will take over from him.

Guinea and Eritrea are the other two teams completing Group D. Senegal are in Group J alongside Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia while Morocco make Group A which also has Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.

Nigeria have a relatively easy pool where they will have to get past Tanzania, Guinea Bissau and Madagascar to qualify. The other co-hosts, Uganda, have been placed in Group H where they will lock horns with Tunisia, Libya and Botswana.

2027 AFCON Qualifiers Draw

• Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
• Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
• Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia
• Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea

• Group E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
• Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
• Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo-Brazzaville
• Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
• Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
• Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
• Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
• Group M: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau