DR Congo, Uganda and Senegal secured their spots at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco after important wins in their qualifying matches on Tuesday.

Tanzania 0-2 DR Congo: Meschack Elia brace seals victory

DR Congo continued their perfect run in Group H with a commanding 2-0 win over Tanzania at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium that helped them seal their place at the AFCON in Morocco.

After a goalless first half, Meschack Elia broke the deadlock in the 87th minute with a composed finish following Nathanaël Mbuku’s assist.

Elia doubled the lead in the 93rd minute, securing all three points for the Leopards, who now sit at the top of the group with 12 points, having won all four of their matches.

The victory means the Leopards have secured their place at the tournament in Morocco as they are guaranteed one of the two slots from the group.

Tanzania remains second with four points but faces a tough challenge to qualify with Guinea and Ethiopia trailing closely behind.

Malawi 0-1 Senegal: Mane’s late winner

Senegal left it late to secure a 1-0 victory over Malawi, courtesy of a stoppage-time free-kick from Sadio Mane that helped them to grab a ticket to the tournament to be played in Morocco.

The game looked set to end in a stalemate until Mane’s 96th-minute strike gave the Teranga Lions all three points, moving them level with Burkina Faso at the top of Group L, both on 10 points.

The result of the match means both Senegal and Burkina Faso cannot be overtaken by their group opponents. 

Malawi remains winless in the group and sits bottom with no points after four matches.

Sudan 2-0 Ghana: Abdelrahman and Al Tash sink Black Stars

Sudan breathed new life into their AFCON qualification campaign with a 2-0 win over Ghana in Group F.

Ahmed Al Tash put Sudan ahead in the 62nd minute, with Mohamed Abdelrahman doubling the lead in the 65th minute.

The win moves Sudan to second place in the group with 7 points, while Ghana’s qualification hopes are in jeopardy as they sit in third place with 2 points.

South Sudan 1-2 Uganda: Own goal hands Uganda the win

Uganda edged South Sudan 2-1 in Group K, with an own goal from Alfred Leku proving decisive.

Denis Omedi gave the Cranes an early lead in the 15th minute, only for Yohanna Juma to equalize for South Sudan in the 21st minute with a stunning strike.

Uganda capitalized on a defensive mix-up in the 66th minute, with Leku’s own goal giving the Cranes their third win of the campaign.

Uganda now tops the group with 10 points, while South Sudan remains bottom with 0 points from four games.

Chad 0-1 Zambia: Musonda strikes as Zambia Marches On

Zambia secured a crucial 1-0 win over Chad in Group G, with Kennedy Musonda scoring the game’s only goal in the 70th minute.

Despite a penalty save from Toaster Nsabata in the 85th minute to deny Chad a late equalizer, Chipolopolo held firm to clinch all three points. 

Zambia now sits second in the group with seven points, while Chad remains winless and at the bottom of the table with two points.

Lesotho 0-2 Gabon: Babicka and Effaghe on Target

Gabon moved up to second in Group B after a 2-0 win over Lesotho.

Shavy Babicka opened the scoring in the 55th minute before Rody Effaghe sealed the victory in the 84th minute with a close-range finish. 

The win moves the Panthers to 7 points, while Lesotho remains at the bottom of the group with just one point from four games.

-CAF

The Nigeria Football Federation has commended the captain and crew of the ValueJet aircraft that flew the Nigerian delegation to and from Libya, saying that their patience, diligence, good manners, warmth and endurance made the trip less arduous for the contingent.

“The captain (Captain Abdellatif Mechergui) and crew were awesome. I must commend, in particular, the captain. He did his job professionally and with a touch of excellence, and even intervened at a point to talk to the airport operatives to allow the NFF leadership to go outside the airport to find a way to hire vehicles for the team.

“ As a fellow North African (Tunisian) who had worked in Libya previously, they were ready to offer him hotel accommodation but not any other member of the crew or any Nigerian, as all the hotels in the city disclosed that they had strict orders not to welcome any Nigerian nationality. He refused their offer and rather opted to sleep in the aircraft with the rest of the crew.

“The captain and crew showed great maturity and kindness. We will never forget them.”

Ghana Black Stars lost 2-0 to Sudan Tuesday afternoon in matchday 4 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series putting their prospects in great doubt.

The former three-time African champions are now third in Group F having accrued just two points from four matches. Sudan, with seven points, are second.

Angola, who still have a match to play later in the day with bottom-placed Niger, are on top with nine points.