Just eight months on from the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – and with the world still waiting to find out the ultimate destination of the title – the road to the 2027 tournament begins in earnest.

The 48 sides still in contention will play two rounds of qualifying in this extended international window, which gets under way on Thursday.

Two more matches follow in November, with the groups reaching their denouement with the final two fixtures in March.

The top two in nine of the 12 groups will progress to the 24-team finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Preparations for the tournament in East Africa may be lagging behind but, with the three hosts all guaranteed qualification, there is only one spot on offer in their respective groups. That means a second-placed finish may potentially not be enough.

Several managerial changes have occurred since the last Afcon in Morocco and this year’s Fifa World Cup, while several star players have hung up their boots. Here’s what to keep an eye on in the first two rounds of action.

Among several coaching changes, two in particular have caught the eye.

Herve Renard, the only man to win Afcon with two different nations, has returned to the Ivory Coast job some 11 years after leading the West Africans to the title.

The 57-year-old Frenchman starts his second stint with the Elephants at home against Ghana on Thursday in what is the standout match in the first round of fixtures.

In the opposing dugout, the experienced Carlos Queiroz is back at the helm after leading the Black Stars to the last 32 at the World Cup. However, Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus is among a number of players to withdraw from his squad.

Patrick Vieira is another high-profile arrival, as the 1998 World Cup champion with France takes charge of Senegal, the country of his birth.

The former Arsenal midfielder, 50, describes the role as “an absolute dream” yet he will begin with two away games against Mozambique and Ethiopia because Dakar is getting ready to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.

Cape Verde were one of the great stories of the 2026 World Cup, pushing Argentina all the way in the last 32 before the debutants lost 3-2 after extra time.

Long-serving coach Bubista has since resigned from the Blue Sharks hotseat, with his former assistant Humberto Bettencourt stepping up.

He will begin his reign in Mali on Friday before hosting Rwanda on Tuesday.

Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa have also changed coaches since the World Cup.

The Tunisians have turned to former Esperance and Renaissance Berkane boss Moin Chaaban as they aim to move on from their disastrous World Cup campaign which saw Sabri Lamouchi dismissed after one game and Renard fail to orchestrate a revival.

Pitso Mosimane has been reappointed by South Africa some 14 years on from his last spell in charge – which saw Bafana Bafana miss out on the 2012 Afcon – and Brahim Hemdani has taken over Algeria after Vladmir Petkovic’s departure.

Meanwhile, Afcon legend Claude Le Roy has returned at the age of 78 after signing on for a second stint with Congo-Brazzaville.

The Red Devils have not appeared at the finals since 2015, while Frenchman Le Roy is aiming to coach at a record-extending 10th edition of the finals.

Burkina Faso have turned to ex-Comoros boss Amir Abdou and, after a stint with Libya, 2021 Afcon-winning coach Aliou Cisse has his first competitive matches in charge of Angola.

The former Senegal boss starts with a tough away assignment in Egypt.

Some big-name players have called time on their international careers since the World Cup, with several of them former Afcon winners.

Senegal are looking for a new number one after Edouard Mendy hung up his goalkeeping gloves.

The 34-year-old helped the Teranga Lions become champions at the 2021 and 2025 tournaments – even if the latter title is still disputed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Wing wizard Riyad Mahrez, who captained Algeria to the trophy in 2019, has quit international duty while Ivory Coast will have to cope without midfielders Seko Fofana and Jean-Michael Seri.

Ellyes Skhiri has also called time on his international career and will not be involved as Tunisia aim to reach a record-extending 18th consecutive Afcon.

Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has stepped back from Gabon duty, saying he felt “humiliated” by his treatment after their exit at the previous tournament.

The 37-year-old was excluded from the national team set-up after their group-stage exit. That sanction was later lifted, but Aubameyang ruled himself out of Sebastien Migne’s Panthers squad despite his fine start to the season with Deportivo La Coruna.

Elsewhere, Eritrea are back in the group stage of Afcon qualifiers – for the first time since the build-up to the 2008 edition – after seeing off Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round in March.

Chad, Djibouti, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles are the other five nations already eliminated.

However, seven Ertirea players absconded after the away leg of their tie which was held in South Africa.

Occurrences of Eritrean sportsmen and women failing to return home to what is a one-party state and a highly militarised society has long been an issue, and was part of the reason for the East Africans withdrawing from qualifying for both the 2023 Afcon and 2026 World Cup.

Yet the Red Sea Camels, who have been drawn alongside Kenya, South Africa and Guinea in Group D, are now largely relying on talent drawn from the diaspora.

Just three home-based players have been named in the squad for their opening two fixtures, which see them take on the tournament co-hosts in Nairobi on Saturday before a ‘home’ game against Bafana Bafana in Cairo on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Somalia have reached the group stage of qualifying for the first ever time but face a very tricky draw alongside Ivory Coast, Ghana and The Gambia.

The Ocean Stars are ranked 53rd on the continent but, like Eritrea, can at least dream of reaching Afcon as the tournament returns to East Africa for the first time since 1976.