The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign got off to a lively start on Thursday, with DR Congo, Ivory Coast and Cameroon all claiming victories on the opening day of group stage play, while several other results added drama and intrigue to the early standings.

In Kinshasa, DR Congo — who made history earlier this year by reaching the last 32 of the FIFA World Cup for the first time, before a narrow defeat to England in Atlanta — opened their AFCON qualifying campaign with a controlled 2-0 home win over Equatorial Guinea. Captain Chancel Mbemba headed in as early as the fourth minute, and Yoane Wissa sealed the points 18 minutes from time. The scoreline could have been more emphatic had DR Congo not twice struck the woodwork and had two efforts disallowed for offside. One shadow over the occasion was the crowd restriction at the Stade des Martyrs, capped at 20,000 as a sanction for fan violence that followed a World Cup qualifying defeat to Senegal a year ago.

In the day's most anticipated fixture, Ivory Coast defeated Ghana 2-0 in a West African derby held in Bouaké, a city in central Ivory Coast. The match was notable for the debut of 20-year-old Malick Yalcouyé, a Brighton-based midfielder making his first appearance for the senior national side after being called up by returning coach Hervé Renard — back in charge of the Elephants eleven years after guiding them to the 2015 AFCON title. Yalcouyé opened the scoring with a precise long-range strike in the 44th minute before winning the penalty that Franck Kessié converted early in the second half. Ghana, who failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON, mustered no shot on target until the 75th minute and surrendered 61 percent of possession throughout.

Cameroon, playing at home in Garoua in northern Cameroon under new coach David Pagou in his first home match in charge, beat Comoros 3-1. David Nyengue headed the opener in the 39th minute, Bryan Mbeumo doubled the lead shortly after half-time, and though Warmed Omari pulled one back for the Comorans, Danny Namaso added a third late on to confirm a comfortable win. Elsewhere, Tunisia were held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda, a result that leaves the North African side — the only African team eliminated in the group stage of the recent World Cup — still searching for consistency. A last-minute penalty also rescued Libya a 2-2 draw against Botswana in Tripoli, where the stadium was likewise operating under a fan ban.

With AFCON 2027 scheduled to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania — marking the first time the tournament will be staged in East Africa — competition for qualification places is expected to be fierce across all groups. The strong opening performances by DR Congo and Ivory Coast signal that both nations, fresh from creditable World Cup campaigns, will be among the favourites to advance.