Botswana, Mozambique, and Tanzania Finalize Qualifications for Afcon 2025

Tanzania, with a decisive goal from forward Simon Msuva, secured consecutive qualifications for the Africa Cup of Nations by defeating Guinea. This occurred before Botswana and Mozambique also qualified, completing the field for next year’s tournament. In Group H, Guinea needed to avoid defeat during their visit to Dar Es Salaam to secure second place, whereas a victory for Tanzania would ensure their qualification for the tournament in Morocco. Mady Camara hit the crossbar for Tanzania before halftime. The Taifa Stars ultimately secured a 1-0 victory, with Simon Msuva scoring a header from just inside the six-yard box in the 61st minute. Tanzania, which is slated to co-host the 2027 Afcon alongside Kenya and Uganda, is ranked 34 places lower than Guinea globally. Botswana, for their part, will make only their second appearance at the finals, having secured the required point in an away match against Egypt to finish second in Group C. In Cairo, Omaatla Kebatho gave the Zebras an early lead, following a defensive lapse by the hosts, but Trezeguet swiftly equalized for the Pharaohs. Botswana secured a 1-1 draw, placing them a point above Mauritania, who concluded their campaign with a 1-0 home victory over 10-man Cape Verde. The southern African team, having been the lowest-seeded in their group, suffered defeats in all three group matches during their only prior Afcon finals appearance in 2012. Similar to the situation with Guinea, Mozambique was aware that securing a point from their away game against Guinea-Bissau would be sufficient to advance from Group I, whereas the West Africans needed a full three points. The visiting team took the lead in the ninth minute via Bruno Langa, but Everton striker Beto leveled the score three minutes before halftime. Stanley Ratifo restored the Mambas’ advantage in the 52nd minute, and Mozambique concluded the game to secure back-to-back qualifications. Africa’s largest sporting event is slated to begin on 21 December next year and will run until 18 January 2026. The Confederation of African Football has not yet announced the date for the group draw of the finals. The qualified nations include: Morocco (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe