The Black Stars were not included in the top pot of seeds for the draw, having slipped down the world rankings after their failure to reach the previous edition of the tournament which was held in Morocco in December and January.
The two West African heavyweights will meet in Group C, where they will also face The Gambia, who made the quarter-finals of the 2021 Afcon on their debut, and Somalia.
“Why always us? This group is a difficult group,” said former Ivory Coast international Max-Alain Gradel, who lifted the trophy with the Elephants on home soil in 2022 and was one of the assistants for the draw in Cairo.
“But we will do everything that we can to qualify. I believe in the team so there is no problem.”
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the next Afcon, which will be held from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
The 48 teams looking to reach the finals have been split into 12 groups of four, with the top two sides qualifying after six rounds of fixtures.
However, things are complicated by the fact that the three co-hosts are all assured of a place at the tournament, so only one other team in their respective groups will book a ticket.
Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia all have little margin for error after being drawn alongside one of the three hosts.
Kenya will face Eritrea, who are back in Afcon qualifying for the first time since preliminaries for the 2008 finals, Guinea and South Africa in Group A.
Elsewhere, record seven-time champions Egypt have been drawn alongside Angola, Malawi and South Sudan.
The first four rounds of qualifying will be spread across September, October and November this year, with the final two fixtures to be held in March next year.
Afcon 2027 qualifying draw
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo-Brazzaville
Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau
Copyright © 2026 BBC
Discussion about this post