AFCON

ROADS TO AFCON 2021 AND WORLD CUP 2022 EMERGE TODAY

Published

7 years ago

July 18, 2019

The path that teams will take to get to the 33^rd Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon and the World Cup in Qatar 2022 will be drawn on Thursday.

Both preliminary competitions may be combined like the editions for 2006 and 2010.

The preliminary competition in Africa will begin in September with the lesser-rated teams contesting.

Almost every CAF member country entered for the competitions except Eritrea and Somalia. The seeding for the draw had been made earlier in the month.

At the end of the preliminary competitions, 24 teams will be at the Africa Cup of Nations while five will go the World Cup.

The draw for the preliminary competitions will begin with the eight teams in Pot 5 will be drawn into four pairings and the winners of the two-leg ties advance to the second stage to join Pot 4 in other to see each pot having 12 teams.

In the second stage of the draw, there will be 12 groups comprised of one team from pots 1-4 and the section winners and runners-up qualify for the finals.

Hosts Cameroon are guaranteed a place so only one other team qualify from their group

The seeding runs thus:

Pot 1: Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon (hosts), Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria

Pot 2: Guinea, South Africa, Cape Verde, Uganda, Zambia, Benin, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Mauritania, Niger, Kenya, Libya

Pot 3: Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Malawi, Togo, Sudan, Tanzania

Pot 4: Burundi, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Botswana, Comoros, Ethiopia and four preliminary-round winners

Pot 5: Liberia, Mauritius, Gambia, South Sudan, Chad, Sao Tome e Principe, Seychelles, Djibouti

Did not enter: Eritrea, Somalia

AFCON

False Claim Goes Viral: No CAS Ruling Overturning Morocco’s AFCON Triumph

Published

9 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Kunle Solaja

BREAKING! WADA Sends Nigeria, Venezuela Anti-doping Agency Cases To CAS -

BY KUNLE SOLAJA, Brooklyn, NY

A document circulating widely on social media claiming that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has stripped Morocco of its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and declared Senegal champions appears to be fabricated, with official CAS records showing no evidence that a final ruling has been issued.

The claim emerged months after the Senegalese Football Federation appealed a decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award Morocco a 3-0 victory in the controversial AFCON final. While Senegal’s appeal is genuine, the latest official information indicates that the case remains unresolved.

One of the clearest indications that the viral document is not authentic is its case number. The circulating image bears the reference CAS 2026/A/10857, whereas CAS officially confirmed that Senegal’s appeal was registered under CAS 2026/A/12295. Such a discrepancy would not be expected in a genuine final award.

The document also incorrectly identifies the dispute as being solely between the Senegalese Football Federation and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. CAS has officially stated that the appeal was lodged against both CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, since the challenged decision originated from CAF’s Appeals Board.

The purported ruling further claims that CAS issued its verdict on June 10, 2026, accepting Senegal’s appeal, overturning CAF’s decision and restoring the result achieved on the field, effectively awarding the continental title to Senegal.

However, a review of CAS’s official communications reveals no statement, judgment or announcement issued on that date regarding the AFCON final dispute.

The latest public update from CAS remains the statement released on March 25, 2026, in which the court confirmed only that Senegal’s appeal had been registered and that an arbitration panel had been appointed. CAS also stated that it was too early to determine a hearing date or indicate when a final decision might be delivered.

In the same communication, CAS disclosed that Senegal had requested an extension to file its appeal brief until it received the full written reasons behind CAF’s ruling. The court also reiterated that arbitration proceedings remain confidential while ongoing.

That timeline directly contradicts the claims contained in the viral document.

Further doubts about the document’s authenticity stem from the fact that it does not appear in CAS’s official database of published decisions. The image circulating online also excludes CAF from the list of respondents and exists only as a low-quality graphic featuring signatures, stamps and an Arabic translation without any verifiable official source.

CAS typically publishes non-confidential rulings through its official database or recent decisions section. No ruling relating to the AFCON final dispute has been published.

Until CAS announces otherwise, CAF’s Appeals Board decision remains the only valid and enforceable ruling in the matter.

On March 17, 2026, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the AFCON final after its players left the field during the match. Invoking Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, the board awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory, overturned an earlier disciplinary decision and upheld Morocco’s protest.

Senegal subsequently challenged that ruling before CAS, but the appeal has yet to produce a publicly announced outcome.

As things stand, there is no official evidence that CAS has revoked Morocco’s AFCON 2025 title or declared Senegal champions. Unless and until the Lausanne-based court issues a formal decision, CAF’s ruling remains in force, making the viral document misleading and highly likely to be fake.
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AFCON

Motsepe Hails King Mohammed VI Over Royal Pardon of Jailed Senegalese Fans

Published

2 months ago

May 24, 2026

Kunle Solaja

Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has praised Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for what he described as a powerful gesture of unity and reconciliation following the royal pardon granted to Senegalese supporters convicted over offences linked to the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

In a statement released on Saturday, Motsepe expressed deep appreciation on behalf of CAF’s 54 member associations, hailing the Moroccan monarch’s decision as a demonstration of football’s ability to foster peace and solidarity across the continent.

“I would like to express our deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, for granting His Royal Pardon to the Senegalese supporters convicted of offences relating to the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025,” Motsepe stated.

The CAF president said the pardon reflected Morocco’s enduring commitment to African unity and highlighted football’s growing role as a bridge between nations and cultures.

“CAF has consistently emphasised its commitment to utilise football to contribute to uniting our people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.

“The pardon by His Majesty King Mohammed VI is an uplifting and motivating illustration of the power of football to unite and bring our people together in Africa and worldwide.”

Motsepe also revealed that during recent visits to both Morocco and Senegal, he had been struck by the deep historical and cultural bonds shared by the two countries.

“I was amazed and impressed when I was briefed about the historic and extensive ties between the people of Senegal and Morocco,” he added.

The statement further reinforced Morocco’s rising influence within African football, especially after successfully hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and positioning itself as one of Africa’s leading football destinations ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

Motsepe also extended CAF’s best wishes to Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing confidence that the continent’s teams would perform strongly on the global stage.

Among the African nations mentioned were Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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AFCON

Group I: Algeria Face Tough Challenge from Zambia in AFCON 2027 Qualifiers

Published

2 months ago

May 20, 2026

Kunle Solaja

By Kunle Solaja.

Former African champions Algeria and Zambia are set for an early showdown after the release of the Group I fixtures for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Algeria host Zambia on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, in what is expected to be one of the headline fixtures of the qualifying campaign, while Togo entertain Burundi in the group’s other opening tie.

The Desert Foxes are favourites to qualify, but Zambia’s growing consistency and Togo’s unpredictability could make the race highly competitive.

Algeria travel to Burundi on Matchday Two before facing Togo in back-to-back encounters across Matchdays Three and Four. Zambia also meet Burundi home and away during the same period.

The potentially decisive fixture comes on March 22, 2027, when Zambia host Algeria in a clash that could determine the final standings.