Zambia gets U-23 AFCON first round bye as qualifiers draw is conducted in Cairo

22 Views CAIRO — Zambia will enter the 2027 CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in the 2nd Round after being named among 14 teams exempted from the opening stage, following the draw held this afternoon in Cairo. The Chipolopolo U-23s were placed in Pot 4 alongside the other lowest-ranked exempted nations. That means […]

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CAIRO — Zambia will enter the 2027 CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in the 2nd Round after being named among 14 teams exempted from the opening stage, following the draw held this afternoon in Cairo.

The Chipolopolo U-23s were placed in Pot 4 alongside the other lowest-ranked exempted nations. That means Zambia will face a team that advances from the 1st Round when the competition resumes.

Elsewhere in the region, Malawi’s path was also mapped out. The Young Flames were drawn to play Eswatini in the 1st Round. The winner of that tie will move into the final qualifying stage where they could meet Algeria.

That final round will also involve the winner between Zimbabwe and Mauritius, with that 1st Round victor scheduled to take on Mali in the 2nd Round.

CAF confirmed that Zimbabwe will host the first leg against Mauritius on 28th September 2026.

A total of 14 countries were given byes to the 2nd Round based on CAF’s points ranking. Apart from Zambia, the other exempted teams are Morocco, Mali, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Guinea, Niger, Algeria, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon and Senegal.

The 14 teams were split into two pots. Pot 4 comprises Niger, Algeria, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Zambia and Senegal. Pot 5 comprises Morocco, Mali, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Guinea.

According to CAF, the format will see one team from Pot 4 paired with a 1st Round winner, while one team from Pot 5 will be paired with another 1st Round winner. The winners of those two matches will then meet in the 3rd and final qualifying round.

This structure will continue until all 14 exempted teams have been drawn into 2nd Round fixtures. The teams that emerge from the final round will qualify for the U-23 AFCON finals to be hosted in Egypt in 2027.