With 15 teams already qualified and nine spots remaining, the race to secure a place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) heats up. Set to be hosted by Morocco from December 2025 to January 2026, the tournament promises intense competition as teams vie for the final places.
As reported on Friday, defending champions Côte d’Ivoire and runners-up Nigeria have each secured their qualification in their respective groups. They join South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda, who confirmed their places on Thursday, with some benefiting from favorable results elsewhere in the qualifiers.
Tunisia claimed an 18th consecutive AFCON appearance with a thrilling 3-2 win over Madagascar, sealed by Ali El Abdi’s stoppage-time goal. Gabon also qualified from Group B after the Central African Republic’s 1-0 loss to Lesotho, and both South Africa and Uganda locked in top spots in Group K after Congo’s 3-2 defeat to South Sudan.
Nigeria secured their qualification following Libya’s 1-0 win over Rwanda, which ensured the Super Eagles’ top-two finish in Group D, despite their later 1-1 draw with Benin. Victor Osimhen’s late equalizer helped Nigeria avoid defeat.
In other qualifiers, Ghana’s hopes were rekindled after Sudan’s 4-0 loss to Niger, setting up a tense finish in Group F. Ghana must now win their final matches while hoping for a Sudan stumble against Angola.
Algeria, already qualified alongside Equatorial Guinea in Group E, was held to a scoreless draw against Equatorial Guinea in the Malabo heat.
The following teams have now secured their AFCON 2025 spots:
- Morocco – Host
- Burkina Faso (Group L)
- Cameroon (Group J)
- Algeria (Group E – leader)
- DR Congo (Group H)
- Senegal (Group L)
- Egypt (Group C)
- Angola (Group F – leader)
- Equatorial Guinea (Group E)
- Côte d’Ivoire (Group G)
- Gabon (Group B)
- Uganda (Group K)
- South Africa (Group K)
- Tunisia (Group A)
- Nigeria (Group D)
As Friday’s qualifiers continue with 10 matches across the continent, teams like Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe aim for victory to edge closer to AFCON, while others battle to keep their hopes alive.
