The Harambee Stars will participate in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers despite Kenya already being confirmed as one of the tournament hosts, following the official draw on May 19 that placed them in Group D alongside Eritrea, Guinea and South Africa.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The draw for the PAMOJA 2027 AFCON qualifiers saw 48 nations seeded into four pots, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania all included in the qualifying process even though they will co-host the continental tournament scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) requires host nations to participate in the qualifiers to ensure competitive balance, match fitness and a structured schedule, even though they automatically qualify for the final tournament.

This means Kenya cannot be eliminated from AFCON 2027 regardless of results in Group D, although all matches involving the Harambee Stars will still be played as official competitive fixtures.

📌 What You Need to Know

CAF rules also change how qualification works in groups that include host nations, compared to standard qualifying groups.

In normal groups, the top two teams qualify for the tournament finals based on qualifier standings. However, in groups featuring a host nation, only one additional team qualifies for AFCON 2027 based on standings.

This means that in Group D, only the highest-ranked non-host team will advance to the finals alongside Kenya, whether the Harambee Stars finish first or last in the standings.

The same structure applies to the other co-hosts, Uganda and Tanzania, who have also been placed in separate qualifying groups as part of the draw.

Uganda is in Group H alongside Botswana, Libya and Tunisia, while Tanzania is in Group L together with Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar and Nigeria.

CAF has confirmed that all qualifying matches will remain official, even with the adjusted qualification rules applied to groups that include host nations.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke