Benni McCarthy Set for South Africa Reunion in AFCON 2027 Qualifiers
South Africa national football team will come up against Benni McCarthy’s Kenya side in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations following Tuesday’s draw in Cairo, Egypt.
The draw placed Bafana Bafana in Group D alongside Kenya, Guinea and Eritrea as teams begin their journey toward qualification for the continental tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
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McCarthy to Face Home Nation
The qualifiers will mark the first time McCarthy faces his home country as a national team coach since taking charge of Kenya national football team.
The former Bafana striker has spent most of his coaching career at club level, but now finds himself preparing for a high-profile clash against the nation where he became one of South Africa’s football icons.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos and his squad will be aiming to secure a third consecutive AFCON appearance after qualifying for the previous two editions.
Bafana Bafana Looking to Continue Momentum
Bafana head into the qualifiers after enjoying a strong run at the 2023 AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast, where they claimed a bronze medal — their best finish in more than two decades.
However, their 2025 campaign in Morocco ended in disappointment after a Round of 16 exit against Cameroon.
Despite that setback, South Africa remain one of the continent’s rising sides under Broos and are also pushing for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Special Qualification Rules for Hosts
The 2027 AFCON finals will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, and will be the first time in 51 years that East Africa hosts the tournament.
The Confederation of African Football confirmed that qualification matches will be played across six matchdays during three FIFA international windows.
Normally, the top two teams from each group qualify for the finals. However, Groups D, H and L have special rules because they include host nations Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
In those groups, only the highest-ranked team outside the host nation will secure automatic qualification alongside the co-hosts.
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