Olaleye Idowu
Holders, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea have qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations without kicking a ball, as the penultimate round of qualifying fixtures began on Wednesday.
The Ivorians are certain of finishing in the top two places in Group G, following Sierra Leone’s 1-1 draw with Chad.
The Elephants now have nine points from four games, while Zambia are second on seven from four.
Sierra Leone has five points with one match to play and Chad is eliminated.
Liberia defeated Togo 1-0 in Monrovia in Group E, a result that saw both teams eliminated.
It also guaranteed Equatorial Guinea a place in the tournament in Morocco.
Equatorial Guinea sit on seven points from their four matches, while Liberia have four points from five games and Togo has two.
Even if Liberia finish with the same points tally as Equatorial Guinea, who host group leaders Algeria on Thursday, they cannot overhaul them in the standings because of the head-to-head record between the two.
Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Cameroon are joined by Angola, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Morocco and Senegal in the finals.
More spots should be confirmed on Thursday, when nine more qualifiers will be played around the continent, with the likes of Nigeria, Sudan and Tunisia looking likely to book their tickets to Morocco.
