The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has cleared the Dire Dawa Stadium to host the return leg of the preliminary round of the AFCON 2027 qualifier between Ethiopia and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Bahiru Tilahun, the Secretary General of the Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF) says the match will be played on March 31st.
“The qualifier second leg against São Tomé and Príncipe will be played at Dire Dawa Stadium on March 31, 2026 after a successful CAF inspection,” said Tilahun.
Eritrea who also return to the AFCON qualifiers after some years will take on Eswatini, while Burundi face Chad, Somalia battle Mauritius, and South Sudan tussle it out against Djibouti.
The six winners of the preliminary round ties over two legs will advance to join the other 42 CAF Member Associations in the group stage of the qualifiers.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.
Preliminary round fixture
Djibouti vs South Sudan
Chad vs Burundi
Somalia vs Mauritius
Seychelles vs Lesotho
Eritrea vs Eswatini
Sao Tome & Principe vs Ethiopia