The qualifiers for the TotalEnegies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 tournament begins on Thursday with eight matches across the African continent.
Thursday's matches includes a blockbuster Group C encounter in Bouake where Cote D'Ivoire will host their neighbours Ghana at the Stade de Bouake.
The two giants of the African game have been seeded to progress from this group and, both will look to win to gain an early stronghold in this pool.
Cameroon will host Comoros Islands in a Group G encounter to be played at the Stade Omnisports Roumde Adjia.
Tunisia will welcome Uganda to the Mammadi Agrebi Stadium in a Group H fixture they will look to win in front of their home fans.
Namibia will be home to the Republic of Congo with the match to be played at the Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone in Group G as they look to begin their qualifiers with a win to set them on course towards qualification.
DR Congo will be strong favourites to start the campaign with a home win as they host Equatorial Guinea at the Stade des Martyrs in Group E.
Mauritania will play the Central African Republic in a Group F home game at the Stade Larbi Zaouli, Casablanca, Morocco as they attempt to qualify for the tournament next year.
Libya will welcome Botswana in Group H to a home game at the 11 June Stadium where they will be strong favourites to start the campaign with a win.
In a Group E fixture, Sierra Leone will host Zimbabwe at the Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi, El Jadida, Morocco looking to get off to a good start in this pool.
Across the weekend, the continent will witness some high profile encounters as the race to secure a place at the tournament begins.
The tournament will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda with three countries hosting it for the first time.
