The qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations tournament kicked off last week, with two matchdays already played as teams began their push to secure a place at the tournament.
Several teams have already lived up to expectations and shown why they are considered among the big names in African football. However, some have struggled and failed to make the expected impact, while a number of smaller nations have made impressive starts and put themselves in a strong position to qualify early in the campaign.
This article looks at five countries that have impressed so far in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers for the tournament, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Morocco
The African champions have been one of the most impressive sides so far at the AFCON qualifiers, and they still have a perfect record after two rounds of games. Morocco kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 win over Gabon, before defeating Lesotho by the same scoreline in their second matchday.
The Atlas Lions have already set early pace in the group and have scored four goals without conceding, leaving them top ahead of both Gabon and Niger, who they face in a doubleheader in November.
Victory in both legs of that clash could eventually seal their spot in the 2027 AFCON tournament.
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Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau have been one of the most surprising teams so far at the 2027 AFCON qualifying tournament. The Djurtus currently sit top of Group L, which also includes the likes of Nigeria, Madagascar and Tanzania after picking up two wins from their opening two games.
They began their campaign with an impressive 2-0 win over Tanzania, but they produce an even better performance in their second qualifying game.
The Djurtus thrashed Nigeria 3-0 in their second game, recording one of the shock results so far which also put them in a strong position to seal their spot in next year’s tournament.
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Ivory Coast
The 2023 AFCON champions have also enjoyed an impressive start to their qualifying campaign with two wins from their two games so far. They kicked off their campaign against former champions Ghana, but made light work of the Black Stars to seal a 2-0 win.
The Elephants were made to work harder in their second game against Somalia and needed two goals in the final few minutes of the game to seal a 2-0 win and remain top of the standings in Group C ahead of Gambia, who also have six points, on goal difference.
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DR Congo
DR Congo have also enjoyed a perfect start to their qualifying campaign after sealing two wins from their first two matches of the tournament.
The Leopards have enjoyed a remarkable rise in recent years which also saw them reach the knockout rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.
They kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 win over Equatorial Guinea, before beating Zimbabwe 2-1 at the National Sports Stadium in Harare to leave them top of their group with four games to go.
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Gambia
Gambia complete this list after picking up six points from their first two qualifying games in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. The Scorpions kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 win over Somalia in Bakau.
Their most impressive result came on matchday two when they thrashed Ghana 4-2, coming back from a two-goal deficit to record the impressive result.
They now sit on six points alongside group leaders Ivory Coast and are in pole position to book their spot in next year’s tournament.
