The six teams who advance will join the 42 other African nations in a pool phase that will determine the 24 sides who qualify for the finals next year.
The teams at this stage were the lowest ranked by FIFA when the draw was made in January, but there are still some among them who have been to the continental finals before.
Here is a brief look at the teams.
Burundi
World Ranking: 145
Preliminary round opponent: Chad (away, March 27; home, March 31)
Burundi qualified for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2019, their only visit to the continental showpiece so far. They will be hopeful of repeating that feat this time round, though they found it a difficult experience, losing all three games without scoring a goal. Burundi have lost their last four competitive fixtures, all World Cup qualifiers, also without finding the back of the net.
Chad
World Ranking: 178
Preliminary round opponent: Burundi (home, March 27; away, March 31)
Chad have never qualified for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations and have, in fact, won only 11 of their previous 61 qualifiers. They first entered in the preliminaries for the 1992 finals in Senegal, and have mostly been present in the qualifiers since, though they withdrew ahead of the 2017 event, were subsequently banned from the next finals, and were then disqualified in the 2021 preliminaries. Chad have not won a competitive fixture since beating Mauritius over two legs at this stage of the 2025 qualifiers two years ago.
Djibouti
World Ranking: 196
Preliminary round opponent: South Sudan (home, March 26; away, March 29)
Djibouti will enter the qualifiers for the sixth time in a row, having skipped several tournaments before that, and are yet to reach the continental finals. They face off against South Sudan, with both matches to be played at the latter’s Juba Stadium, essentially away fixtures for Djibouti. They have lost their last eight competitive fixtures since a 1-0 win over Rwanda in an African Nations Championship qualifier in October 2024. They last won a TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifier when they beat South Sudan 2-0 in 2017, but lost the return leg 6-0.
Eritrea
World Ranking: No ranking
Preliminary round opponent: Eswatini (home, March 25; away, March 31)
Eritrea return to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the first time since the preliminaries for the 2008 edition. They have largely been inactive in international football, so much so that they do not have a FIFA ranking, having not played the required number of fixtures. Their last competitive fixture was a CECAFA Cup final clash against Uganda in 2019. At that same tournament they defeated Kenya 4-1, as well as Burundi and Djibouti, to show there is rich potential in the side. They have won five of 25 previous continental qualifiers.
Eswatini
World Ranking: 159
Preliminary round opponent: Eritrea (away, March 25; home, March 31)
Eswatini will hope to qualify for their first finals, having been regulars in the preliminary rounds since their first attempt in 1986. It has been tough going, though, with only 10 wins in 73 qualifiers, but there have been signs in recent editions that they are getting closer. They have recent wins over Zimbabwe (twice) and Madagascar in the African Nations Championship qualifiers, which is very close to their regular squad. They also held Cameroon and Angola in the recent World Cup qualifiers.
Ethiopia
World Ranking: 147
Preliminary round opponent: Sao Tome e Principe (away, March 27; home, March 31)
Ethiopia are former winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, having lifted the trophy on home soil in 1962, and have five top-four finishes in all. But they have only qualified for the finals twice since 1984, going out in the group stages in 2013 and 2021. They are a team who can be a match for anyone on their day and have recent wins over DR Congo and Guinea-Bissau as proof of that.
Lesotho
World Ranking: 143
Preliminary round opponent: Seychelles (away, March 26; home, March 29)
Lesotho are the highest-ranked side in the preliminary round and are coming off a strong showing in the recent World Cup qualifiers. There they held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in West Africa, beat Zimbabwe and also drew away in Rwanda. Those are an impressive set of results, showing they are a team on the rise. They have yet to qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, having won 14 of their 91 preliminary-stage matches to date.
Mauritius
World Ranking: 177
Preliminary round opponent: Somalia (away, March 27; home, March 31)
Mauritius have found the going tough of late but will be hoping a new campaign brings with it better results. They have never met Somalia before, so it will be something of an unknown quantity, but they ended their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0-0 draw against a strong Libya team to show their potential. They have been to the continental finals before, but lost all three group games in Egypt in 1974. That is their only appearance.
Sao Tome e Principe
World Ranking: 189
Preliminary round opponent: Ethiopia (home, March 27; away, March 31)
Sao Tome e Principe have not yet been to the continental finals but have been regulars in the qualifiers since the 2013 edition. They first tried to qualify for 2000. It has been a hard slog, though, with six wins in 36 qualifiers, but they are coming off something of a high with a 1-0 win over Malawi in their last competitive fixture, a World Cup qualifier in October. Their last win in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers was against Mauritius in 2022.
Seychelles
World Ranking: 203
Preliminary round opponent: Lesotho (home, March 26; away, March 29)
Outside of Eritrea, who have no ranking, Seychelles are the lowest-ranked side in the qualifiers and come up against COSAFA rivals Lesotho, who are the highest. They have won five of their 42 qualifiers in the past, and none since a victory over Lesotho in the preliminaries for 2017. The last time they reached the group stage of qualifying was for 2019. They first entered the preliminary competition in 1990.
Somalia
World Ranking: 200
Preliminary round opponent: Mauritius (home, March 27; away, March 31)
Somalia are seeking to secure a first-ever qualification to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations and were back in the preliminaries for the last two finals after an absence of some 30 years. They first entered in 1974, but after trying to reach the 1988 finals, there was a long hiatus. They exited at this stage of the qualifiers in the last two editions, so the goal now will be to make the group stages at least.
South Sudan
World Ranking: 168
Preliminary round opponent: Djibouti (away, March 26; home, March 29)
South Sudan first appeared in the qualifiers in 2015 and have been involved in every edition since, reaching the group stages in the last five editions. That shows progress for a national team that is one of the youngest in Africa. They twice beat Congo in the qualifiers for the last edition and also have a 2020 win over Uganda, so they are a team that can compete on the continent.