Having qualified for AFCON with a game to spare, there are still a few talking points for Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro to consider... like whether he'll still have a job at the end of the month, and who the heck should wear number 1?
As the Super Eagles prepare to face AFCON qualifying this weekend, Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze is so confident of a Nigeria win against Sierra Leone he has advised fans they can begin to book their tickets to Ivory Coast already.
Egypt came from behind to beat Guinea 2-1 on Wednesday and secure a record-extending 26th appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations finals as they made sure of top spot in their qualifying group with one match to play in the preliminary competition.
The recent round of AFCON qualifiers saw teams like SA, Senegal, and Nigeria, qualify for the tournament proper... But will Cameroon miss out?
Defending champions Senegal, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Tunisia all qualified for next year's African Cup of Nations finals on Tuesday.
Nigeria were a subdued team in the wake of their 1-0 win over Guinea Bissau in AFCON qualifying on Monday, but they could breathe a sigh of relief.
Algeria secured a place at the next Africa Cup of Nations finals with a 1-0 win over Niger that ensured a top-two finish in their qualifying group.
Heading into gameweek 4 of the AFCON qualifiers, some big sides, like Nigeria and South Africa, need to improve and fast.
Bright Samuel was the standout for Nigeria in their defeat by Guinea-Bissau in the first of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header.
Seriously, when will Nigeria's Super Eagles be able to go into camp without controversy and financial drama taking focus away from their players?
Will Osimhen's form shift from club to country? How will Haller's Ivory Coast return go? Will a Chelsea youngster make his Cameroon debut?
Here are the big talking points -- and the lessons learned -- from the opening two rounds of AFCON 2023 group stage qualification.
Third time was the charm for Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro as his side finally eked out a win, beating Sierra Leone 2-1 in AFCON qualifying.
Algeria won at Tanzania in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Wednesday as they rebound after a tough start to the year.
Winger Naim Sliti scored one goal and set up two others as World Cup-bound Tunisia secured a thumping 4-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in their op
World Cup-bound Ghana turned out a powerful side but had to wait until the second half to break down a stubborn Madagascar and win 3-0.
Kenya and Zimbabwe have been booted out of qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.
Reigning champions Senegal have been handed a straightforward draw for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group qualifiers that kick off in June.
The draw for the Africa Cup of Nations finals, set for Yaounde on June 25, has been postponed, the Confederation of African Football [CAF] said.
Gernot Rohr masterminded qualification for a major tournament with at least one game to spare yet still he does not get respect from Nigerians.
Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania have become the latest countries to qualify for January's Africa Cup of Nations.
Richard Mbulu's header handed Malawi a 1-0 victory over Uganda on Monday and a place at the Africa Cup of Nations finals for only the third time.
Nigeria defeated Benin 1-0 after already having qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Saturday due a draw between Lesotho and Sierra Leone.
The field for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for next January continues to take shape as Morocco and the Ivory Coast sealed spots on Friday.
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP A | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +12 | 12 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | +5 | 10 |
| Sierra Leone | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -17 | 1 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP B | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Burkina Faso | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | +3 | 10 |
| Cape Verde Islands | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | +3 | 10 |
| Togo | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Eswatini | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -5 | 2 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP C | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Namibia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Cameroon | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Burundi | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Kenya | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP D | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Egypt | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +6 | 12 |
| Guinea | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 9 |
| Malawi | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 4 |
| Ethiopia | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 4 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP E | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Ghana | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | +4 | 9 |
| Angola | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 8 |
| Central African Republic | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| Madagascar | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -8 | 2 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP F | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Algeria | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 15 |
| Tanzania | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 7 |
| Uganda | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 4 |
| Niger | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP G | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Mali | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +9 | 12 |
| Gambia | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Congo | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 6 |
| South Sudan | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 3 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP H | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Zambia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +6 | 12 |
| Ivory Coast | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | +3 | 10 |
| Comoros Islands | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 6 |
| Lesotho | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -7 | 1 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP I | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Mauritania | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | +4 | 8 |
| Congo DR | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
| Gabon | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 7 |
| Sudan | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 6 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP J | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Equatorial Guinea | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 12 |
| Tunisia | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | +7 | 10 |
| Botswana | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 4 |
| Libya | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -6 | 3 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP K | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| South Africa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 7 |
| Morocco | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 6 |
| Liberia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
| Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - GROUP L | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Senegal | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | +8 | 13 |
| Mozambique | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 7 |
| Benin | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Rwanda | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -6 | 2 |
