The AFCON 2027 Qualifiers will begin on September 24 with several notable absentees. Injuries, suspensions and squad-selection decisions will keep some of Africa’s most recognizable players out of the opening matches.
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The Biggest Absentees From the Opening Round of the AFCON 2027 Qualifiers
Victor Osimhen and Sadio Mané headline the injury absences, while Achraf Hakimi will miss Morocco’s opener through suspension. Ivory Coast and Cameroon will also begin their road to 2027 without several established stars.
The latest withdrawal is Victor Osimhen, who was initially included in Nigeria’s squad before being officially ruled out on September 20.
Victor Osimhen ruled out for Nigeria
The Galatasaray striker will miss the matches against Madagascar on September 25 and Guinea-Bissau four days later.
Osimhen suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh during a match against Başakşehir. Although Eric Chelle initially included him in the squad hoping he would recover in time, the forward was eventually ruled out.
The Nigeria Football Federation announced Taiwo Awoniyi as his replacement.
Sadio Mané also misses the opening matches
Senegal will face Mozambique and Ethiopia without Sadio Mané, who was left out of Patrick Vieira’s first squad.
The new head coach explained that the forward is dealing with a physical issue and indicated that he could return during the next international window.
His absence is not connected to international retirement: Mané remains available for future selections.
Hakimi called up but suspended
Achraf Hakimi’s situation is different.
The Morocco captain was included in Mohamed Ouahbi’s squad but will miss the September 25 opener against Gabon because of a pending CAF suspension stemming from the incidents during the AFCON 2025 final.
Ismaël Saibari must also serve a suspension and will miss that opening match.
Meanwhile, Sofyan Amrabat is not part of the squad after announcing that he would not participate with the national team at this stage. The midfielder has not retired from international football.
Ivory Coast and Cameroon face important absences
Hervé Renard’s return to Ivory Coast will begin without Amad Diallo and Wilfried Singo, both unavailable through injury.
The Elephants will face Ghana on September 24 before taking on Somalia.
Cameroon, meanwhile, will also be without the injured Carlos Baleba. Head coach David Pagou has additionally omitted several experienced players, including André Onana and Vincent Aboubakar, from his squad for the matches against Comoros and the Republic of the Congo.
Not all these absences have the same cause, but they share one consequence: several national teams will begin their qualifying campaigns for the tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda without players who featured prominently in previous international campaigns.
