Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, eight other countries qualify for 2025 AFCON

Defending champions Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea have both qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations without playing, as the second-to-last round of qualifiers began on Wednesday.

Ivory Coast secured their spot in the top two of Group G following Sierra Leone’s 1-1 draw with Chad.

The Elephants now lead with nine points from four matches, with Zambia second on seven. Sierra Leone has five points with one match left, while Chad is eliminated.

In Group E, Liberia’s 1-0 victory over Togo in Monrovia eliminated both teams from the competition, thus confirming Equatorial Guinea’s qualification for the tournament in Morocco.

Equatorial Guinea, sitting on seven points from four games, cannot be overtaken by Liberia, even if both teams finish with the same points, due to their head-to-head record.

Alongside Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea, Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Egypt, Morocco, and Senegal have also qualified for the finals.

More teams are expected to secure qualification on Thursday, with nine matches scheduled across the continent, including decisive games for Nigeria, Sudan, and Tunisia, all aiming to book their places in Morocco.