Five Nations Secure Afcon 2025 Qualification, Ghana’s Chances Persist

Nigeria had previously secured the runner-up position in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which took place earlier in the current year. Nigeria, a nation that has claimed the continental title on three occasions, was one of five teams to secure their spot in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) during the second-to-last round of qualification matches held on Thursday. Tunisia, playing with ten men, scored a winning goal in the 93rd minute, achieving a 3-2 victory against Madagascar on the road and thereby ensuring their qualification for the finals for a record 17th consecutive time. Gabon, South Africa, and Uganda advanced to the next stage without playing, as favorable outcomes in other matches within their groups secured their progression. Libya’s 1-0 victory over Rwanda earlier on Thursday guaranteed Nigeria a place in the top two of Group D even before their away fixture against Benin commenced. Victor Osimhen scored for the Super Eagles, who recovered from a deficit to achieve a 1-1 draw – an outcome that leaves Benin, Rwanda, and Libya all with an opportunity to qualify for the tournament in Morocco ahead of their last group games. Concurrently, Ghana’s prospects for qualification remain viable following Sudan’s significant 4-0 loss in their away match against Niger, a result that also revitalized Niger’s own qualifying efforts. Sudan had required only a single point to advance from Group F. Ghana, four-time Afcon champions, are required to defeat Angola, who have already qualified, in Luanda on Friday at 19:00 GMT to maintain their pursuit of a spot in the 2025 finals. Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast both secured their places in next year’s 24-team competition on Wednesday without playing, a trend that persisted into Thursday. The Central African Republic needed an away win against Lesotho to challenge Gabon in Group B, but a 1-0 loss in Bloemfontein signifies that CAR’s inaugural appearance at the Nations Cup will be delayed for a minimum of two more years. Congo-Brazzaville also required three points from their visit to South Sudan in Group K but concluded the match with 10 players, suffering a 3-2 defeat in Juba. This outcome granted qualification to Uganda, the group leaders, who will participate in the finals for the first time since 2019, as well as to South Africa. Ali Abdi emerged as the key player for Tunisia in their match against Madagascar in Group A, scoring only four minutes after Wajdi Kechrida received a red card. The Malagasy team had twice equalized after falling behind, but their elimination was confirmed when they were unable to secure a point in the final moments of the game. In another match, Libya maintained their slim qualification prospects in Group D when Fahd Saad Mohamed scored a decisive late goal against Rwanda in Malawi. Benin would have secured their place alongside Nigeria in the finals with a win in Abidjan, having taken the lead before halftime courtesy of Mohamed Tijani. The Cheetahs, previously referred to as the Squirrels, were compelled to accept a draw and must now prevent a loss against Libya on Monday to clinch the second position in their group. Ten matches are scheduled for Friday, with Botswana, Comoros, Mali, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe all having an opportunity to qualify. The following nations have already secured their qualification: Morocco (as hosts), Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda. The results from Thursday’s matches are as follows: Madagascar 2-3 Tunisia (Group A) Lesotho 1-0 Central African Republic (Group B) Rwanda 0-1 Libya (Group D) Benin 1-1 Nigeria (Group D) Equatorial Guinea 0-0 Algeria (Group E) Niger 4-0 Sudan (Group F) South Sudan 3-2 Congo-Brazzaville (Group K) Burundi 0-0 Malawi (Group L) Burkina Faso 0-1 Senegal (Group L)