Ivory Coast and Ghana headline Group C in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, with their direct matchup on September 24 opening the campaign and setting the tone for a balanced four-team contest also featuring Gambia and Somalia. Both sides bring strong recent form, deep squads, and historical pedigree as multiple-time continental champions, producing closely matched implied probabilities around 50 percent in trader consensus for either claiming the group. Gambia’s organized play and home advantage in early windows add realistic points potential, while Somalia trails on paper but faces lower-ranked opposition initially. With six matchdays spread through March 2027 and no results yet recorded, small swings in results or injuries could shift the top-two qualification race significantly.