With the echoes of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON2023) still resonating, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the roadmap for the upcoming edition slated to unfold in Morocco. In an announcement on Monday, February 19, 2023, CAF revealed that the draw for the preliminary round of AFCON2025 is scheduled for Tuesday, February 20.
The draw ceremony, set to unfold in Cairo, Egypt, at 2:00 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT), will primarily involve the eight teams occupying the lowest positions in the recent FIFA rankings.
These teams will engage in home-and-away fixtures during the upcoming international window from March 18 to 26, 2024.
Divided into two pots, the participating nations are categorized as follows:
Pot 1:
1. Somalia
2. Djibouti
3. Sao Tome and Principe
4. Chad
Pot 2:
1. Mauritius
2. South Sudan
3. Liberia
4. Eswatini
Each team from Pot 1 will be paired with an opponent from Pot 2. The four victorious teams will then join the 44 exempted nations in the subsequent group stage qualifiers.
The journey unfolds from September, as outlined in CAF’s correspondence to the federations. Over several months, national teams will fiercely compete for the coveted spots in AFCON 2025.
– 1st and 2nd matchdays: September 2 to 10, 2024
– 3rd and 4th matchdays: October 7 to 15, 2024
– 5th and 6th matchdays: November 11 to 19, 2024
With a packed calendar, African selections brace themselves for an intense year, further compounded by the inclusion of the 3rd and 4th matchdays of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers slated for next June.
