AFCON 2025: Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and 13 Teams Secure Spots as Final Places Heat Up

As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification battle intensifies, 15 teams have already secured their spots in the tournament, with 24 teams set to participate. The road to the finals in Morocco, which will take place from December 2025 to January 2026, is rapidly narrowing, and the race for the remaining nine spots is heating up.

Defending champions Côte d’Ivoire and runners-up Nigeria have both confirmed their qualifications in their respective groups. Other teams, including South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda, also secured their places on Thursday, some benefiting from results in other matches.

Tunisia sealed their spot with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Madagascar, thanks to Ali El Abdi’s last-minute header, marking their 18th consecutive AFCON appearance. Meanwhile, Gabon qualified from Group B without even playing, as their closest rival, the Central African Republic, lost 1-0 to Lesotho. South Africa and Uganda also advanced without action, as Congo’s 3-2 defeat to South Sudan ensured they finished in the top two of Group K.

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 header saving Nigeria from a defeat.

In other developments, Ghana’s hopes of qualification were reignited following Sudan’s heavy 4-0 loss to Niger, which sets up a dramatic conclusion in Group F. Ghana must win their remaining two fixtures and rely on Sudan’s slip-up in their final match against Angola.

Meanwhile, Algeria and Equatorial Guinea, already qualified from Group E, played out a goalless draw in Malabo, with Algeria dropping their first points of the campaign.

So far, the following teams have secured their spots for AFCON 2025:

• Morocco (Host, automatic qualification)
• 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)

With Friday’s qualifiers featuring 10 crucial matches across Africa, the battle for the final spots at AFCON 2025 continues. Teams like Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are in prime position to qualify with home victories, while others will fight to keep their dreams alive.