Five Teams Setting the Early AFCON Pace

The opening two matchdays of AFCON 2027 qualifying have already given the group tables some shape. Between 24 September and 6 October, 48 national teams began the road to the finals, which Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will host from 19 June to 17 July 2027. Fans have followed the opening rounds through CAF match centres and broadcaster apps, while some also follow football fixtures and results through 1xbet ghana as the qualifying campaign develops. Five teams, however, have given their supporters the clearest reasons for optimism.

Their starts have had a few things in common:

• two victories from two games;

• useful early separation in the table;

• strong scoring records or important away wins;

• less pressure heading into the November fixtures.

Morocco make a clean start

Morocco began Group A with a 2-0 victory over Gabon. Noussair Mazraoui and Soufiane Rahimi scored the goals, and another 2-0 result followed away to Lesotho.

The numbers are simple: six points, four goals and two clean sheets. There was no need for a late rescue in either game and, just as importantly, Morocco returned from their first away fixture without dropping points.

That leaves them in a comfortable position before the next international window. In a six-match group, an early away win can matter as much as a convincing home performance.

Guinea-Bissau deliver the early surprise

Guinea-Bissau's opening week was harder to ignore. Their campaign started with a 2-0 win away to co-host Tanzania. The setting of Group L makes that result particularly valuable because Tanzania are already assured of a place at the finals, leaving the other teams to fight for the available qualification spot.

Then came a 3-0 victory over Nigeria. After two games, Guinea-Bissau had five goals, six points and no goals conceded. More than anything, those results forced the rest of the group to chase from an unusually early stage.

South Africa find goals quickly

South Africa took a different route to six points. A 2-1 win over Guinea got the campaign moving before a far more comfortable second outing against Eritrea. South Africa won 5-0, with Relebohile Mofokeng scoring twice and Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh adding the other goals. Seven goals in two matches gave them one of the strongest attacking totals of the opening rounds.

There is another reason those points matter. Kenya, one of the tournament hosts, are in the same group and qualify automatically. For the remaining teams, the margin for dropped points is smaller than usual. South Africa have so far avoided that problem completely.

DR Congo show they can win differently

DR Congo opened Group E by beating Equatorial Guinea 2-0. Their second match was less comfortable but arguably more revealing. Away in Harare, they defeated Zimbabwe 2-1. Yoane Wissa scored and later created Samuel Moutoussamy's goal, allowing DR Congo to take an advantage into the second half and hold it.

The two results required different approaches. One was a controlled home victory; the other demanded that they protect a narrower lead away from home.

That has already given DR Congo six points and an early advantage over Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, who both stood on three after Matchday Two.

Rwanda refuse to play the outsider

Rwanda arrived without the same attention as several of the continent's bigger names, but their results quickly changed that. They scored three first-half goals in a 3-1 opening win against Liberia, then travelled to Cape Verde and won 2-1.

Five goals and six points make the start impressive enough on paper. The away victory adds more weight to it. Points won on the road can prove decisive later, especially in a short qualifying campaign where there is little time to repair a poor start.

As the competition moves toward the November window, fans will again be checking the latest fixtures, scores and group standings. Returning users can access their accounts through 1xbet login as another round of international football gets underway. Rwanda will arrive at that stage with something far more valuable: a perfect record.

November brings a different test

The qualifiers resume in the 9–17 November 2026 international window, with the final two rounds scheduled for March 2027. Nothing is settled after two matches. Morocco and DR Congo have nevertheless given themselves room to work with, while Guinea-Bissau and South Africa have made particularly valuable starts in groups containing automatic qualifiers.

Rwanda may have produced the least expected perfect record of the five. What happens next will show whether these opening results were simply a strong first week or the foundation of a successful qualifying campaign.