With 15 teams already qualified and 24 set to compete, the race for the remaining nine spots in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is heating up.
The tournament, scheduled to be hosted by Morocco from December 2025 to January 2026, according to the CAF website, is set to feature fierce competition as the path to the finals becomes increasingly narrow.
It has been reported that both defending champions Côte d’Ivoire and runners-up Nigeria have secured their qualification spots in their respective groups.
AFCON trophy
On Thursday, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda secured their places in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with some teams benefiting from results in the latest round of qualifiers. Tunisia sealed a dramatic 3-2 win over Madagascar, thanks to Ali El Abdi’s stoppage-time header, marking their record 18th consecutive AFCON appearance.
Meanwhile, Gabon qualified from Group B without playing, as their nearest rival, the Central African Republic, suffered a 1-0 loss to Lesotho.
South Africa and Uganda also advanced without stepping onto the pitch, securing the top two spots in Group K after Congo lost 3-2 to South Sudan. For Nigeria, a 1-0 win by Libya over Rwanda earlier in the day confirmed their top-two finish in Group D.
Later, the Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by Benin, with Victor Osimhen’s late equaliser rescuing Nigeria from defeat.
In other developments, Ghana’s qualification hopes were reignited after Sudan endured a heavy 4-0 defeat to Niger, setting up a tense finish in Group F. However, Ghana must win their remaining two matches and rely on Sudan faltering in their last game against Angola.
Elsewhere, Algeria, already qualified alongside Equatorial Guinea from Group E, dropped their first points of the campaign in a goalless draw against Equatorial Guinea under the sweltering Malabo heat.
So far, these nations have secured their spots at AFCON 2025:
Morocco – Host (Automatic)
Burkina Faso (Group L)
Cameroon (Group J)
Algeria (Group E) – Table leader
DR Congo (Group H)
Senegal (Group L)
Egypt (Group C)
Angola (Group F) – Table 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)
With 10 matches scheduled for Friday across the continent, the race to finalize the list of finalists continues.
