The 48 teams were placed in 12 groups, with the top two in each pool advancing to the finals, though Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have all already secured their places as co-hosts.
In those pools, only one other team will advance, which means there will be little pressure on McCarthy when he comes up against Bafana Bafana, for whom he still holds the international goal-scoring record with 31.
Guinea and Eritrea are the other two teams in Group D.
Holders Morocco headline Group A and face Gabon, Niger and Lesotho in what should be a stroll to the 24-team finals, which will be staged from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Egypt have two trips to Southern Africa as they face Angola, Malawi and South Sudan in Group B, while there is a West African flavour to Group C, which includes 2023 edition winners Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia.
DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe are in Group E, while Group F could be closely contested between Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania and the Central African Republic.
Cameroon will want to make up for the disappointment of missing out on the 2026 World Cup as they take on Comoros, Namibia and Congo in Group G. They have had some tough times against Namibia in the recent past.
Tunisia, Uganda, Libya and Botswana make up Group H, while Algeria, Zambia, Togo and Burundi are in Group I.
Senegal, who won the 2025 final 1-0 against hosts Morocco before the result was overturned, should have a breeze to the finals with Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in their pool.
Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda and Liberia are in Group K, and Nigeria should have no problem in Group L with Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau.
The qualifiers will be played over three international windows, with Matchdays 1 & 2 from 21 September to 6 October, Matchdays 3 & 4 from 9–17 November, and Matchdays 5 & 6 from 22–30 March 2027.
TOTALENERGIES CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 QUALIFIERS DRAW
GROUP A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
GROUP B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
GROUP C: Cote d’Ivoire, 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
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