2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Last updated
2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2025 Afconq.png
Tournament details
Dates20 March – 19 November 2024
Teams52 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played151
Goals scored331 (2.19 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Morocco.svg Brahim Díaz
(7 goals)
2023
2027

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, the 35th edition of the international men's football championship of Africa. The qualification began with the preliminary round, which ran from 20 to 26 March 2024, and concluded with the group stage, which was played in September, October and November, all in 2024. A total of 24 teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including automatically-qualified hosts Morocco.

Contents

Entrants

All CAF member associations entered the competition, except Eritrea and Seychelles, who were excluded from the qualifiers. The seeding was based on the FIFA World Ranking from 15 February 2024, with teams ranked 1st to 44th received a bye to the qualifying group stage, while the teams ranked 45th to 52nd had to participate in the preliminary round. [1]

The preliminary round draw was held on 20 February 2024, 14:00 CAT (UTC+2) at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. [2]

For the first time since their suspensions, Kenya and Zimbabwe made their phased returns to the qualifying stage.

From the February 2024 FIFA World Rankings [3]
Bye to group stageParticipating in preliminary round
  1. Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco (12; hosts)
  2. Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal (17)
  3. Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria (28)
  4. Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt (36)
  5. Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast (39)
  6. Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia (41)
  7. Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria (43)
  8. Flag of Mali.svg  Mali (47)
  9. Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon (51)
  10. Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa (58)
  11. Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso (61)
  12. Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo (63)
  13. Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde (65)
  14. Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana (67)
  15. Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea (76)
  16. Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea (79)
  17. Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon (84)
  18. Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia (87)
  19. Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda (92)
  20. Flag of Angola.svg  Angola (93)
  21. Flag of Benin.svg  Benin (98)
  22. Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania (106)
  23. Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia (107)
  24. Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar (109)
  25. Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique (110)
  26. Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya (111)
  27. Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo (112)
  28. Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo (116)
  29. Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau (118)
  30. Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania (119)
  31. Flag of Libya.svg  Libya (120)
  32. Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros (121)
  33. Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi (122)
  34. Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe (124)
  35. Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone (126)
  36. Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan (127)
  37. Flag of Niger.svg  Niger (128)
  38. Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic (129)
  39. Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia (130)
  40. Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda (133)
  41. Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi (140)
  42. Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia (145)
  43. Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana (146)
  44. Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho (148)
  1. Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini (149)
  2. Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia (152)
  3. Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan (166)
  4. Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius (177)
  5. Flag of Chad.svg  Chad (181)
  6. Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe (191)
  7. Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti (192)
  8. Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia (198)

Schedule

The schedule of the qualifying tournament was as follows. [4]

RoundMatchdayDatesMatches
Preliminary round First leg20–22 March 2024Team 1 vs. Team 2
Second leg26 March 2024Team 2 vs. Team 1
Group stage Matchday 12–10 September 2024Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4
Matchday 2Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 4 vs. Team 1
Matchday 37–15 October 2024Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 4
Matchday 4Team 3 vs. Team 1, Team 4 vs. Team 2
Matchday 511–19 November 2024Team 2 vs. Team 1, Team 4 vs. Team 3
Matchday 6Team 3 vs. Team 2, Team 1 vs. Team 4

Preliminary round

The eight teams were split into four ties which were played in home-and-away two-legged format. [2]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Somalia  Flag of Somalia.svg2–5Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 0–3 2–2
São Tomé and Príncipe  Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg1–1 (a)Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 1–1 0–0
Chad  Flag of Chad.svg3–1Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius 1–0 2–1
Djibouti  Flag of Djibouti.svg0–2Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 0–2 0–0

Group stage

Draw

The group stage draw took place on 4 July 2024 at 2:30 pm (UTC+2) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 48 national teams involved were divided into twelve groups of four each, which consisted of the 44 teams that entered directly, in addition to the four winners of the preliminary round, and were seeded into four pots of twelve each based on the June 2024 FIFA World Rankings (shown in parentheses). [5] [6]

Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.

Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4

Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco (12; hosts)
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal (18)
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt (36)
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast (37)
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria (38)
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia (41)
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria (44)
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon (49)
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali (50)
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa (59)
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo (61)
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana (64)

Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde (65)
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso (67)
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea (77)
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon (83)
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea (89)
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia (90)
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin (91)
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola (92)
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda (94)
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia (97)
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique (103)
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar (104)

Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya (108)
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania (112)
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo (113)
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania (114)
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau (115)
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya (118)
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros (119)
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo (120)
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan (121)
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone (122)
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi (125)
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic (127)

Flag of Niger.svg  Niger (128)
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe (129)
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda (131)
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia (132)
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi (140)
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia (142)
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia (143)
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana (145)
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho (149)
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini (154)
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan (167)
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad (178)

Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 14):

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  5. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Away goals scored in all group matches;
  9. Drawing of lots

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of the Comoros.svgFlag of Tunisia.svgFlag of The Gambia.svgFlag of Madagascar.svg
1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 633074+312 Final tournament 1–1 1–1 1–0
2Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 631276+110 0–1 0–1 1–0
3Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 62226608 1–2 1–2 1–0
4Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 60244842 1–1 2–3 1–1
Source: CAF

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Morocco.svgFlag of Gabon.svgFlag of Lesotho.svgFlag of the Central African Republic.svg
1Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco [a] 6600262+2418 Final tournament 4–1 7–0 5–0
2Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 631279210 1–5 0–0 2–0
3Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 6114213114 0–1 0–2 1–0
4Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic 6105314113 0–4 0–1 3–1
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. Morocco had already qualified for the final tournament as the host nation.

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Egypt.svgFlag of Botswana.svgFlag of Mauritania.svgFlag of Cape Verde.svg
1Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 6420122+1014 Final tournament 1–1 2–0 3–0
2Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 62224738 0–4 1–1 1–0
3Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania 62133637 0–1 1–0 1–0
4Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 61143744 1–1 0–1 2–0
Source: CAF

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Nigeria.svgFlag of Benin.svgFlag of Rwanda.svgFlag of Libya.svg
1Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 632193+611 Final tournament 3–0 1–2 1–0
2Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 62227708 [a] 1–1 3–0 2–1
3Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 62225728 [a] 0–0 2–1 0–1
4Flag of Libya.svg  Libya 61233745 0–3 [b] 0–0 1–1
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Head-to-head points: Benin 3, Rwanda 3. Head-to-head goal difference: Benin +2, Rwanda –2.
  2. Nigeria were awarded a 3–0 win following an incident upon their arrival in Libya, where they were stranded at the airport for over 12 hours, before ultimately refusing to play and pulling out. [7]

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Algeria.svgFlag of Equatorial Guinea.svgFlag of Togo (3-2).svgFlag of Liberia.svg
1Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 6510162+1416 Final tournament 2–0 5–1 5–1
2Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 62225838 0–0 2–2 1–0
3Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo 612371035 0–1 3–0 1–1
4Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 611441284 0–3 1–2 1–0
Source: CAF

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Angola.svgFlag of Sudan.svgFlag of Niger.svgFlag of Ghana.svg
1Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 642072+514 Final tournament 2–1 2–0 1–1
2Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 62224628 0–0 1–0 2–0
3Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 621376+17 0–1 4–0 1–1
4Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 60333743 0–1 0–0 1–2
Source: CAF

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Zambia.svgFlag of Cote d'Ivoire.svgFlag of Sierra Leone.svgFlag of Chad.svg
1Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 641174+313 Final tournament 1–0 3–2 0–0
2Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 6402123+912 2–0 4–1 4–0
3Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 612351055 0–2 1–0 0–0
4Flag of Chad.svg  Chad 60331873 0–1 0–2 1–1
Source: CAF

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svgFlag of Tanzania.svgFlag of Guinea.svgFlag of Ethiopia.svg
1Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 640273+412 Final tournament 1–0 1–0 1–2
2Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 631254+110 0–2 1–0 0–0
3Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 630395+49 1–0 1–2 4–1
4Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 611431294 0–2 0–2 0–3
Source: CAF

Group I

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Mali.svgFlag of Mozambique.svgFlag of Guinea-Bissau.svgFlag of Eswatini.svg
1Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 6420101+914 Final tournament 1–1 1–0 6–0
2Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 632195+411 0–1 2–1 1–1
3Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau 61234625 0–0 1–2 1–0
4Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 6024213112 0–1 0–3 1–1
Source: CAF

Group J

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Cameroon.svgFlag of Zimbabwe.svgFlag of Kenya.svgFlag of Namibia.svg
1Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 642082+614 Final tournament 2–1 4–1 1–0
2Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 623164+29 0–0 1–1 3–1
3Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 61324736 0–1 0–0 0–0
4Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 60242752 0–0 0–1 1–2
Source: CAF

Group K

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of South Africa.svgFlag of Uganda.svgFlag of the Republic of the Congo.svgFlag of South Sudan.svg
1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 6420165+1114 Final tournament 2–2 5–0 3–0
2Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 641185+313 0–2 2–0 1–0
3Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 611441284 1–1 0–1 1–0
4Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 610561263 2–3 1–2 3–2
Source: CAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group L

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Senegal.svgFlag of Burkina Faso.svgFlag of Burundi.svgFlag of Malawi.svg
1Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 6510101+916 Final tournament 1–1 2–0 4–0
2Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 6312107+310 0–1 4–1 3–1
3Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 611441174 [a] 0–1 0–2 0–0
4Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 611461154 [a] 0–1 3–0 2–3
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Head-to-head points: Burundi 4, Malawi 1.

Goalscorers

There were 331 goals scored in 151 matches, for an average of 2.19 goals per match.

7 goals

6 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Qualified teams

The following teams qualified for the final tournament.

.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Team qualified
Team failed to qualify
Team banned or did not enter
Not a member of CAF 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification map.png
  Team qualified
  Team failed to qualify
  Team banned or did not enter
  Not a member of CAF
TeamQualified asQualified onPrevious appearances in Africa Cup of Nations 1
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Hosts / Group B winners27 September 202319 (1972, 1976 , 1978, 1980, 1986, 1988 , 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso Group L runners-up13 October 202413 (1978, 1996, 1998 , 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2023)
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Group J winners14 October 202421 (1970, 1972 , 1982, 1984 , 1986, 1988 , 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000 , 2002 , 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017 , 2019, 2021 , 2023)
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria Group E winners14 October 202420 (1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990 , 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 , 2021, 2023)
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo Group H winners15 October 202420 (1965, 1968 , 1970, 1972, 1974 , 1976, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023)
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal Group L winners15 October 202417 (1965, 1968, 1986, 1990, 1992 , 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 , 2023)
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Group C winners15 October 202426 ( 1957 , 1959 , 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974 , 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986 , 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 , 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 , 2008 , 2010 , 2017, 2019 , 2021, 2023)
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola Group F winners15 October 20249 (1996, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010 , 2012, 2013, 2019, 2023)
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea Group E runners-up13 November 20244 ( 2012 , 2015 , 2021, 2023)
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast Group G runners-up13 November 202425 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984 , 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992 , 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 , 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 )
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon Group B runners-up14 November 20248 (1994, 1996, 2000, 2010, 2012 , 2015, 2017 , 2021)
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda Group K runners-up14 November 20247 (1962, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1978, 2017, 2019)
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Group K winners14 November 202411 ( 1996 , 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013 , 2015, 2019, 2023)
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia Group A runners-up14 November 202421 (1962, 1963, 1965 , 1978, 1982, 1994 , 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 , 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Group D winners14 November 202420 (1963, 1976, 1978, 1980 , 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994 , 2000 , 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013 , 2019, 2021, 2023)
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali Group I winners15 November 202413 (1972, 1994, 2002 , 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia Group G winners15 November 202418 (1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 , 2013, 2015, 2023)
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe Group J runners-up15 November 20245 (2004, 2006, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros Group A winners15 November 20241 (2021)
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan Group F runners-up18 November 20249 (1957, 1959, 1963, 1970 , 1972, 1976, 2008, 2012, 2021)
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin Group D runners-up18 November 20244 (2004, 2008, 2010, 2019)
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania Group H runners-up19 November 20243 (1980, 2019, 2023)
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana Group C runners-up19 November 20241 (2012)
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique Group I runners-up19 November 20245 (1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, 2023)
1Bold indicates champions for that year. Italics indicates hosts for that year.

References

  1. "Draw for TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Preliminary Round set for Tuesday". CAFOnline.com . 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 "TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Preliminary Draw conducted". CAFOnline.com . 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. "Men's Ranking". FIFA. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. Oyebola, Mike (25 December 2023). "CAF announces kick-off date for AFCON 2025 qualifiers". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  5. "Draw for TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Qualifiers set for 04 July in Johannesburg". Draw for TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Qualifiers set for 04 July in Johannesburg. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  6. "Men's Ranking". FIFA. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  7. "الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم "كاف" يقرر خسارة المنتخب الليبي أمام نظيره المنتخب النيجيري" [The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided that the Libyan national team will lose to its Nigerian counterpart.]. beIN Sports (in Arabic). 26 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.