The international football calendar has entered a busy stretch, with the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers and the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 both getting underway within days of each other. Across Africa and Europe, national teams are already dealing with the pressure of getting points on the board before the qualifying races begin to take shape.
The AFCON 2027 qualifiers are taking place across 12 groups, while the UEFA Nations League has returned with its league phase involving teams across four divisions. Some opening matches have already produced important results, while several teams are preparing for another round of fixtures within days.
For Nigeria, the AFCON campaign has already started with a comeback victory over Madagascar, while other Group L results have immediately created an interesting early picture. In Europe, the opening Nations League matches have also produced notable results, including Belgium’s victory over Italy, France’s win over Türkiye and Spain’s 3 – 2 victory over England.
Here is the full breakdown of the results already played, the latest standings, the fixtures still ahead and the dates that will shape both competitions.
AFCON 2027 qualification race
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027. The tournament will mark the return of the competition to East Africa for the first time in more than five decades.
The qualifying competition features 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four. The normal qualification arrangement sees the top two teams in each group qualify for the finals.
However, there is an important adjustment because Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are the three host nations and are already automatically qualified. Therefore, in Groups D, H and L, only the highest placed non host nation will take the remaining qualifying place from each of those groups.
The opening two matchdays are being played between September 24 and October 6, 2026. Matchdays 3 and 4 will follow between November 9 and November 17, while the final two matchdays are scheduled for March 22 to March 30, 2027.
Matchday 1 results across Africa
The first round of matches produced several victories, draws and comebacks across the 12 groups.
Group A
Niger 2 – 1 Lesotho
Morocco 2 – 0 Gabon
Group B
Malawi 2 – 1 South Sudan
Egypt 0 – 0 Angola
Group C
Côte d’Ivoire 2 – 0 Ghana
Gambia 2 – 1 Somalia
Group D
Kenya 1 – 1 Eritrea
South Africa 2 – 1 Guinea
Group E
DR Congo 2 – 0 Equatorial Guinea
Sierra Leone 2 – 3 Zimbabwe
Group F
Mauritania 3 – 1 Central African Republic
Burkina Faso 1 – 1 Benin
Group G
Namibia 1 – 0 Congo
Cameroon 3 – 1 Comoros
Group H
Libya 2 – 2 Botswana
Tunisia 1 – 1 Uganda
Group I
Togo 1 – 0 Burundi
Algeria 3 – 1 Zambia
Group J
Sudan 1 – 0 Ethiopia
Mozambique 1 – 1 Senegal
Group K
Rwanda 3 – 1 Liberia
Mali 3 – 1 Cape Verde
Group L
Nigeria 2 – 1 Madagascar
Tanzania 0 – 2 Guinea Bissau
The Group D matches were completed on September 26, with South Africa beating Guinea 2 – 1 and Kenya being held to a 1 – 1 draw by Eritrea.
Nigeria’s opening comeback
Nigeria started the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign with a 2 – 1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Group L.
Madagascar took the lead after 16 minutes when Ehsan Kari finished after being set up by Ryan Ponti. Nigeria responded before the break, with George Ilenikhena scoring the equaliser in first half stoppage time.
Moses Usor then completed the comeback in the 65th minute to give the Super Eagles all three points.
The result puts Nigeria on three points after the opening matchday and gives the team an early advantage in a group that also contains Guinea Bissau and the two co hosts, Tanzania and Madagascar.
Group L standings after Matchday 1
Nigeria — 3 points
Guinea Bissau — 3 points
Madagascar — 0 points
Tanzania — 0 points
Guinea Bissau also began with three points after defeating co host Tanzania 2 – 0 away from home. Because Tanzania is automatically qualified as a host, the remaining qualification place from Group L will go to the highest ranked non host team.
Nigeria’s next test
Nigeria’s next AFCON qualifying match will be against Guinea Bissau on September 29, 2026.
The meeting is particularly important because both nations already have three points from their opening matches. A second victory would therefore give either side an early advantage in the race for the available qualifying position.
The match is scheduled for 5:00pm Nigerian time.
AFCON Matchday 2 fixtures
The second round of fixtures will continue from September 28 through October 1, before the final Matchday 2 game on October 6.
September 28
Equatorial Guinea vs Sierra Leone
Zimbabwe vs DR Congo
Central African Republic vs Burkina Faso
Botswana vs Tunisia
September 29
Gabon vs Niger
Lesotho vs Morocco
South Sudan vs Egypt
Ghana vs Gambia
Somalia vs Côte d’Ivoire
Guinea Bissau vs Nigeria
Madagascar vs Tanzania
Benin vs Mauritania
Comoros vs Namibia
Congo vs Cameroon
Uganda vs Libya
Zambia vs Togo
Burundi vs Algeria
Mozambique vs Sudan
Ethiopia vs Senegal
Cape Verde vs Rwanda
Liberia vs Mali
September 30
Eritrea vs South Africa
October 1
Guinea vs Kenya
October 6
Angola vs Malawi
AFCON road ahead
The qualifying campaign will continue after the September and October fixtures, with Matchdays 3 and 4 scheduled for November.
The final two rounds will then take place in March 2027, bringing the qualifying campaign to its conclusion and determining the teams that will join the three hosts at the finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
For Nigeria, the immediate focus is on Group L and the two matches against Guinea Bissau and Tanzania. The opening victory over Madagascar has already given the Super Eagles three points, but the group still has a long way to go.
UEFA Nations League returns
The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League league phase began on September 24 and will conclude on November 17, 2026. League A, League B and League C teams will play six league phase matches each, while the League D teams will play four.
The groups are arranged as follows.
League A
A1
France
Italy
Belgium
Türkiye
A2
Germany
Netherlands
Serbia
Greece
A3
Spain
Croatia
England
Czechia
A4
Portugal
Denmark
Norway
Wales
League B
B1
Scotland
Switzerland
Slovenia
North Macedonia
B2
Hungary
Ukraine
Georgia
Northern Ireland
B3
Israel
Austria
Republic of Ireland
Kosovo
B4
Poland
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Romania
Sweden
League C
C1
Albania
Finland
Belarus
San Marino
C2
Montenegro
Armenia
Cyprus
Latvia
C3
Kazakhstan
Slovakia
Faroe Islands
Moldova
C4
Iceland
Bulgaria
Estonia
Luxembourg
League D
D1
Gibraltar
Malta
Andorra
D2
Lithuania
Azerbaijan
Liechtenstein
Nations League opening results
The first round of matches began on September 24 and continued through September 26.
League A
Italy 0 – 2 Belgium
Türkiye 0 – 1 France
Netherlands 1 – 1 Germany
Serbia 1 – 2 Greece
Czechia 1 – 2 Croatia
England 2 – 3 Spain
Norway 3 – 2 Denmark
Portugal 1 – 0 Wales
The final two Group A3 matches on September 26 brought victories for Croatia and Spain. Croatia defeated Czechia 2 – 1, while Spain beat England 3 – 2.
League B results
The opening League B matches produced the following results.
Austria 3 – 1 Israel
Kosovo 1 – 0 Republic of Ireland
Georgia 0 – 1 Northern Ireland
Hungary 0 – 1 Ukraine
Poland 0 – 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sweden 2 – 1 Romania
Slovenia 0 – 0 Scotland
North Macedonia 0 – 3 Switzerland
The remaining League B Matchday 1 results have left several groups tightly positioned after the opening fixtures, with Switzerland taking three points from North Macedonia and Slovenia and Scotland sharing the points after a goalless draw.
League C results
The opening League C fixtures have also now been completed.
Group C1
San Marino 0 – 7 Finland
Albania 2 – 0 Belarus
Group C2
Armenia 2 – 0 Latvia
Montenegro 2 – 1 Cyprus
Group C3
Faroe Islands 1 – 1 Kazakhstan
Slovakia 2 – 0 Moldova
Group C4
Bulgaria 1 – 2 Luxembourg
Iceland 1 – 1 Estonia
The results give Finland the early lead in Group C1 on goal difference after the 7 – 0 victory over San Marino, while Slovakia moved to the top of Group C3 after beating Moldova 2 – 0.
League D opening picture
League D began with two matches.
Andorra 1 – 2 Malta
Liechtenstein 0 – 2 Lithuania
Malta therefore opened Group D1 with three points, while Lithuania took the early advantage in Group D2 after beating Liechtenstein.
Nations League Matchday 2
The second matchday begins on September 27 and continues through September 29.
September 27
Lithuania vs Azerbaijan
Serbia vs Netherlands
Denmark vs Wales
Austria vs Kosovo
Gibraltar vs Andorra
Germany vs Greece
Norway vs Portugal
Israel vs Republic of Ireland
September 28
Georgia vs Ukraine
Armenia vs Montenegro
Belgium vs France
Türkiye vs Italy
Northern Ireland vs Hungary
Romania vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sweden vs Poland
Latvia vs Cyprus
September 29
Finland vs Belarus
Moldova vs Faroe Islands
Czechia vs England
Spain vs Croatia
Scotland vs Switzerland
Slovenia vs North Macedonia
San Marino vs Albania
Slovakia vs Kazakhstan
Bulgaria vs Estonia
Luxembourg vs Iceland
Nations League schedule ahead
After Matchday 2, the Nations League moves quickly into the next phase of the league campaign.
Matchday 3 will be played from October 1 to October 3, while Matchday 4 will take place from October 4 to October 6. The final two league phase matchdays are scheduled for November 12 to November 17.
The Nations League will then move into its next stages after the league phase, with the competition continuing into 2027.
Two competitions, different pressure
The AFCON qualifiers and Nations League are taking place at the same time, but the objectives are different.
For African nations, every qualifying point is directly connected to the race for a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The presence of three automatic host qualifiers also creates a special situation in Groups D, H and L.
The Nations League operates through league groups, with teams competing for movement between divisions and progression through the competition’s later stages. The opening results have already created early points gaps, but the league phase still has several matchdays remaining.
For Nigeria, the immediate attention remains on Guinea Bissau and the rest of Group L. Across Europe, the next few days will bring another full set of Nations League fixtures, including several major League A meetings.
The next dates to watch
The immediate AFCON dates are September 28, September 29, September 30, October 1 and October 6, when the second round of qualifying fixtures will be completed.
Nigeria’s next match is against Guinea Bissau on September 29, while South Africa will face Eritrea on September 30 after both teams opened Group D with different results.
The UEFA Nations League continues on September 27, with another set of matches involving Germany, France, Portugal, Norway, Serbia and other major European sides.
September 29 will then bring several important League A and League B fixtures, including Czechia vs England, Spain vs Croatia and Scotland vs Switzerland.
The opening rounds have already provided plenty of movement, but both competitions are still at an early stage. The next set of matches will begin to show which teams can build on their opening results and which sides will need to recover quickly.
