Burundi and Burkina Faso both took a big step closer to securing a place at their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after impressive wins in their second-round play-off first legs.
Burundi, who are unranked by FIFA, are now 90 minutes away from the 2022 Nations Cup after they crushed Djibouti 6-1.
Fresh from beating Ethiopia 6-0 over two legs in the first round, the home side raced into a 4-1 lead by half-time in Ngozi, before adding another two goals after the break.
Burkina Faso, also hoping to reach their first major tournament, thrashed Guinea-Bissau 6-0 away from home.
The visitors missed out on qualification in 2018 when they lost to the Gambia on penalties, but look to have effectively qualified this time around after their impressive first-leg win.
Elsewhere, Senegal edged out Mali 1-0, while Zambia and Namibia played out a goalless draw.
Twenty countries face two-legged play-offs to qualify for the tournament in Morocco, with the first legs taking place 16-18 February and the returns between 21-23 February.
Uganda, who were given a bye after Kenya withdrew, and hosts Morocco are already assured of a place at the finals, which will be played from 2-23 July this year.
Africa’s representatives for the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be decided at the Nations Cup, with the semi-finalists all booking spots in Australia and New Zealand.
Women’s Afcon second-round play-off first leg ties
Wednesday, 16 February
- Burundi 6-1 Djibouti (Ngozi)
- Zambia 0-0 Namibia (Lusaka)
- Guinea-Bissau 0-6 Burkina Faso (Bissau)
- Senegal 1-0 Mali (Thies)
Thursday, 17 February
- Togo v Gabon (Lome, 15:00 GMT)
Friday, 18 February
- Zimbabwe v Botswana (Harare, 13:00 GMT)
- South Africa v Algeria (Johannesburg, 14:00 GMT)
- Tunisia v Equatorial Guinea (Solimane, 14:00 GMT)
- Cameroon v The Gambia (Yaounde, 14:30 GMT)
- Nigeria v Cote d’Ivoire (Abuja, 15:00 GMT)
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