AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Nigeria, South Africa Secure Spots for Continental Showpiece
Nigeria and South Africa have successfully qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, marking a significant achievement in the ongoing qualifiers.
On Thursday, Nigeria secured their spot with a 1-1 draw against Benin. The match, held in Benin, saw the Super Eagles initially fall behind when Mohamed Tijani headed in a corner in the 16th minute.
Despite several attempts from Victor Osimhen and Moses Simon, Nigeria struggled to find the net until the 81st minute, when Osimhen equalized with a precise header from Simon’s cross.
With this draw, Nigeria confirmed a top-two finish in Group D, relieving fans and setting the stage for preparations for the tournament.
In Group L, Senegal maintained their lead with a narrow 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso. The match took place at the Stade du 26 Mars, where both teams were already qualified for AFCON but were competing for group supremacy.
After a goalless first half filled with missed opportunities, Senegal found the breakthrough in the 83rd minute when substitute Habib Diarra struck from outside the box, directing the ball into the bottom left corner after being set up by Pape Gueye. Burkina Faso pushed for an equalizer, with Lassina Traoré and Edmond Tapsoba forcing crucial saves from Senegal’s Edouard Mendy, but Senegal’s defense held firm, keeping them at the top of Group L.
South Africa also qualified without kicking a ball, as their closest rivals, Congo, lost 3-2 to South Sudan. This match saw South Sudan secure their first points of the qualifying campaign after previously losing their first four matches.
Striker Christopher Ibayi scored twice in the first half for Congo, putting them ahead twice, but Ebon Malish equalized twice for South Sudan, with Data Elly netting the winner six minutes from time.
This result left Congo stranded on four points from five matches, unable to catch up to South Africa, who sit second in Group K with eight points, and Uganda, who have ten.
With Nigeria and South Africa’s qualifications confirmed, they join a growing list of teams heading to Morocco for next year’s finals, including Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda.
