Rwanda have been drawn against Mali, Cape Verde and Liberia in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations following Tuesday’s draw in Cairo.
The Amavubi were placed in Group K as they begin their bid to reach only their second AFCON finals.
The 2027 tournament, officially branded AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It will also be the first edition of the competition to feature 48 teams.
Mali, Cape Verde Present Tough Test
Mali are expected to start as favourites in the group following a strong run of recent performances on the continent. At the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco, they reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual finalists Senegal.
Cape Verde also arrive with growing pedigree in African football, having established themselves among the continent’s most consistent tournament sides.
The island nation has appeared at four AFCON finals and reached the quarter-finals in both 2013 and 2023. During the 2023 tournament, Cape Verde topped a group featuring Egypt, Ghana and Mozambique before again exiting at the last-eight stage.
Liberia complete Group K.
Rwanda, meanwhile, will be aiming to return to the continental stage for the first time since their only AFCON appearance in 2004 in Tunisia, where they impressed despite a group-stage exit against hosts Tunisia, DR Congo and Guinea.
The Amavubi earned widespread praise for their spirited performances and competitiveness, narrowly losing against some of Africa’s more established sides in what remains one of the most memorable campaigns in the country’s football history.
Amavubi Building Momentum
The Amavubi head into the campaign encouraged by a series of positive recent performances.
Earlier this year, Rwanda won the FIFA Series 2026 Group A title on home soil in Kigali, finishing unbeaten and without conceding a goal.
They opened the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Grenada before beating Estonia 2-0 in the final at Amahoro Stadium.
The win over Estonia marked Rwanda’s first-ever victory against European opposition.
Goals from Abeddy Biramahire and Leroy-Jacques Mickels secured the result in front of a capacity crowd that included President Paul Kagame. Mickels was later named player of the tournament.
Qualification for AFCON 2027 will be played across six matchdays in three FIFA international windows:
Matchdays 1–2: September 21 – October 6, 2026
Matchdays 3–4: November 9–17, 2026
Matchdays 5–6: March 22–30, 2027
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the finals.
The tournament itself will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, and will be the largest AFCON edition in history following its expansion to 48 teams.
With the draw now complete, focus now shifts to qualification as Rwanda prepare for a demanding but potentially defining campaign.
