Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy will miss next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after Tanzania secured a shock 1-0 victory over Guinea on Tuesday, eliminating the visitors and booking their spot in the tournament.
Botswana and Mozambique also claimed the final qualification slots, completing the lineup for the 24-team tournament set to take place in Morocco.
In Group I, Stanley Ratifo’s second-half goal sealed a 2-1 victory for Mozambique over Guinea-Bissau, ending the home side’s chances of qualifying. Mozambique finished as runners-up behind Mali, which capped off its campaign with a dominant 6-0 win over Eswatini.
Botswana ended a 12-year absence from AFCON by earning a 1-1 draw against Egypt in Cairo. Omaatla Kebatho’s early goal was enough to secure second place in Group C, finishing one point ahead of Mauritania, which edged Cape Verde 1-0. Group winners Egypt topped the group with 14 points, followed by Botswana (8), Mauritania (7), and Cape Verde (4).
Guinea, needing just a draw to qualify, faltered in their final Group H match. Simon Msuva’s diving header in the 61st minute gave Tanzania the decisive victory, sparking jubilant celebrations from the home crowd. Tanzania advanced as runners-up behind group winners Congo, marking only their fourth AFCON appearance.
Ghana’s four-time champions failed to qualify for the first time since 2004 after finishing last in Group F with no wins. Their campaign ended on Monday with a 2-1 home defeat to Niger.
Sudan also secured qualification on Monday with a goalless draw against Angola, who had already qualified as group winners. Similarly, Benin booked their spot with a 0-0 draw in Libya, finishing second in their group behind Nigeria. Despite losing their final match 2-1 to Rwanda, Nigeria had already secured their qualification.
Earlier in the qualifiers, Comoros, Zambia, Mali, and Zimbabwe earned their spots on Friday, while Nigeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon secured theirs on Thursday.
Pre-qualified teams include host Morocco, defending champion Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Algeria, Congo, Cameroon, Senegal, and Angola.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
