Nigeria and Tunisia have secured their spots in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after crucial matches on Thursday. Nigeria’s qualification was sealed by a late equalizer from Victor Osimhen, while Tunisia’s victory came in a thrilling 3-2 win over Madagascar.
Despite not playing on Thursday, South Africa, Gabon, and Uganda also qualified for the 24-nation tournament, which will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025. Sudan’s hopes of qualification were dashed by a surprising 4-0 loss to Niger, giving Ghana a glimmer of hope ahead of their must-win match in Angola on Friday.
In Group D, Nigeria faced a tough challenge against Benin. Despite trailing for much of the match, Osimhen’s equalizer nine minutes from time secured a 1-1 draw and qualification for Nigeria. Benin, Rwanda, and Libya will now battle for the second qualification spot.
Tunisia’s qualification from Group A was secured by a dramatic 3-2 victory over Madagascar. Ali al Abdi scored in the third minute of added time to give Tunisia the win, despite being reduced to 10 men. Comoros will qualify from the group if they defeat the Gambia on Friday.
South Sudan’s 3-2 victory over Congo Brazzaville ensured Uganda and South Africa’s qualification from Group K. Congo’s hopes were dashed when Bryan Passi was sent off, giving South Sudan the advantage to snatch victory.
In Group F, Sudan’s qualification hopes were shattered by a 4-0 loss to Niger. Ghana must now defeat Angola and Niger and hope Angola beats Sudan to qualify.
Burkina Faso’s unbeaten run in Group L ended with a 1-0 loss to Senegal. Habib Diarra scored the lone goal for Senegal.
With 10 qualifiers scheduled for Friday, Botswana, Comoros, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe could secure their berths. Guinea could also qualify on Saturday if they beat the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania fails to win against Ethiopia.
