Egypt opened their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 0–0 draw against Angola at the Cairo International Stadium, taking home a single point from their Matchday 1 fixture in front of a large crowd eager to see the Pharaohs’ first official appearance following the 2026 World Cup.
The match remained goalless despite both Mohamed Salah and Haitem Hassan starting in attack. Head coach Hossam Hassan substituted the pair in the 61st minute, though subsequent tactical changes failed to produce a winning goal for the hosts.
During the match, supporters inside Cairo International Stadium chanted the name of Mohamed El Shenawy despite the Al Ahly goalkeeper’s exclusion from the squad, following controversial comments made by Hassan hours prior to kickoff.
The manager had previously stated that El Shenawy “was finished at his club at one point and only played for us in the national team,” before later clarifying his respect for the goalkeeper as a team leader and insisting the omission was purely tactical rather than personal.
The draw leaves both Egypt and Angola on one point in Group B. Malawi took sole possession of top spot with three points after securing a 2–1 victory over South Sudan, leaving South Sudan at the bottom of the table without a point.
Egypt have two fixtures remaining during the current international break. The national team travels to face South Sudan in Juba on September 29 for their second qualifier, before returning to Cairo to host South Africa in a friendly on October 4.
Elsewhere, Morocco launched their qualifying campaign with a 2–0 victory over Gabon in Rabat. Noussair Mazraoui opened the scoring in the 36th minute, before Soufiane Rahimi sealed the win in the 84th minute. The Atlas Lions lead Group A on three points, ahead of Niger on goal difference after their 2–1 win over Lesotho, while Gabon and Lesotho remain without points.
Morocco will face Lesotho in Bloemfontein on September 29, followed by a friendly against Ghana in Tangier on October 4.
Algeria registered the largest Arab victory of the opening round, defeating Zambia 3–1 in Tizi Ouzou. Jaouen Hadjam opened the scoring after just two minutes, before Ibrahim Maza and Anis Hadj Moussa added further goals in the 67th and 74th minutes. Fashion Sakala scored Zambia’s lone goal in the 57th minute.
Les Fennecs top Group I on three points, leading Togo on goal difference after their 1–0 win over Burundi. Algeria travel to face Burundi on September 29 before hosting Niger in a friendly on October 6.
The qualification stage comprises six round-robin matchdays, with the top two teams from each group—excluding those containing co-host nations—securing qualification. Following the conclusion of Matchday 2, qualifying resumes in November 2026, before concluding with the final two rounds in March 2027.
