AFCON 2027 Qualifiers Matchday 1 Results: Egypt and Senegal Drop Points, Morocco and Algeria Start with Wins

Matchday 1 of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers was a useful reminder that even a huge gap in the odds does not always translate into an easy three points in African football.

Of the five games from our preview where a 888STARZ line was available, three favourites delivered. Ivory Coast, Morocco and Algeria all won by at least two goals.

Egypt, however, failed to score against Angola despite starting at 1.46, while Senegal — priced at just 1.19 to win — opened Patrick Vieira’s competitive reign with a draw.

Kenya also failed to win at home, but we will not force an odds comparison there: no separate 888STARZ line was publicly available before kick-off.

Ivory Coast 2–0 Ghana: Renard’s Return Starts Exactly as the Market Expected

The first major African fixture of the window produced no upset.

Ivory Coast went into the game as 1.60 favourites and dealt comfortably with a weakened Ghana side.

The opening goal had a fitting storyline. Malick Yalcouye, one of eight newcomers called up by Herve Renard after his return, scored in the 44th minute from a Franck Kessie assist. After the break, Kessie converted a penalty himself to make it 2–0.

Ghana arrived in Bouake without several key players, including Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Antoine Semenyo and Jordan Ayew, which only strengthened the hosts’ position.

888STARZ before kick-off:
Ivory Coast — 1.60 | Draw — 3.64 | Ghana — 5.56

In our preview, the key question was how quickly Renard could reshape the team.

The first answer was convincing: a newcomer scored, Kessie controlled the game, and Renard’s second spell began with a clean-sheet win.

Egypt 0–0 Angola: the First Major Slip from a Favourite

If Ivory Coast followed the line, Egypt delivered the first genuinely surprising result among our selected fixtures.

The hosts were priced at just 1.46 to win, with the draw at 3.92.

Egypt pushed forward, searched for openings and even had the ball in the net in the 21st minute, but Mostafa Ziko’s effort was ruled out for offside.

Angola held firm until the final whistle.

0–0.

888STARZ before kick-off:
Egypt — 1.46 | Draw — 3.92 | Angola — 7.20

For Angola, it is an excellent away point. For Egypt, it is nowhere near the start expected in Cairo.

There is no crisis after one game in a six-match group, but these are exactly the kind of home points that can turn an apparently comfortable qualification campaign into a much more awkward one.

Morocco 2–0 Gabon: No Drama, No Surprise

The market left almost no room for another scenario here.

Morocco were 1.17, Gabon 15.00, and the hosts did exactly what was expected of them.

Noussair Mazraoui opened the scoring in the 36th minute. Gabon tried to respond after the break, but Morocco remained in control before Soufiane Rahimi made it 2–0 in the 84th minute.

888STARZ before kick-off:
Morocco — 1.17 | Draw — 6.45 | Gabon — 15.00

For the first competitive game of a new cycle, the result was close to ideal: three points, a clean sheet and no unnecessary drama.

In the preview, the main question was not whether Morocco would win, but what the refreshed team would look like.

The first impression was positive.

Algeria 3–1 Zambia: the Favourite Survives One Nervous Spell

Algeria also justified their pre-match status, although the game briefly threatened to become uncomfortable.

Jaouen Hadjam scored after just two minutes, but Fashion Sakala equalised after the break.

Algeria responded quickly. Ibrahim Maza restored the lead ten minutes later before substitute Anis Hadj Moussa made it 3–1 in the 74th minute.

888STARZ before kick-off:
Algeria — 1.33 | Draw — 4.50 | Zambia — 9.50

It was Brahim Hemdani’s first competitive match in charge, and it ended with a convincing enough win.

Zambia caused some concern at 1–1, but Algeria’s reaction after conceding was arguably the most encouraging part of the performance.

Mozambique 1–1 Senegal: the 1.19 Favourite Drops Two Points

This was the biggest blow to the pre-match line among our African fixtures.

Senegal were priced at just 1.19 to win in our preview, while Mozambique were all the way out at 14.40.

The game initially seemed to be following the expected script. Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring in the 32nd minute and looked set to launch Patrick Vieira’s first competitive match with a routine win.

But Geny Catamo equalised before half-time, and Senegal could not find a second goal after the break.

1–1.

888STARZ before kick-off:
Senegal — 1.19 | Draw — 5.95 | Mozambique — 14.40

This is exactly why it is useful to return to the pre-match line in a results article.

Senegal did not lose, but a draw at 1.19 is still a clear setback. Especially with Sudan beating Ethiopia 1–0 in the other group game and immediately moving above Vieira’s side.

It is not a disastrous start to Senegal’s new cycle, but it is certainly not the result the market expected.

Kenya 1–1 Eritrea: the Hosts Rescue a Point Late

We included Kenya in the preview because of their status as one of the AFCON 2027 hosts and their importance for the Kenyan audience.

Their start was much harder than expected.

Eritrea took the lead in the first half after a defensive mistake, with Nahom Girmai Netabay finding the net.

Kenya struggled for an answer and only avoided defeat three minutes from time through Ryan Ogam.

1–1.

We deliberately do not compare this result with the odds. A separate 888STARZ line was not publicly available before the match, so there is no reason to invent one after the fact.

Kenya face less qualification pressure because their place at the home tournament is already guaranteed.

But as a checkpoint on the road to 2027, this was still revealing. Eritrea came within minutes of a major away win, and Kenya had to fight just to rescue a point.

How Our Selected Matches Compared with the 888STARZ Line

If you look only at the winners, Matchday 1 appears fairly straightforward. Ivory Coast, Morocco and Algeria all started with three points and justified their favourite status.

But the most interesting stories came from the games where that did not happen.

Egypt failed to score at home against Angola despite being priced at 1.46. Senegal, at 1.19, dropped two points to Mozambique in Vieira’s first competitive match. Kenya came close to a home defeat against Eritrea and only rescued a draw late on.

After just one round, several groups already look less predictable than they did a few days ago.

There is not much time to settle into AFCON qualifying. The next set of fixtures arrives almost immediately — and the teams that dropped points in their openers will already be under pressure to respond.