The second round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers concluded on Tuesday, with 15 intense matches determining the current state of the road to Morocco. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the prestigious tournament.
Ivory Coast, the reigning AFCON champions, secured their second victory of the campaign with a commanding 2-0 win over Chad at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé.
Goals from Oumar Diakite and Jean-Philippe Krasso put the Elephants in pole position to defend their title next year in Morocco.
They now sit comfortably at the top of Group G with six points.
Zambia also managed to claim a crucial 3-2 victory over Sierra Leone in Ndola, placing them second in Group G.
Kings Kangwa’s late goal proved decisive as Chipolopolo twice took the lead, only for the West African side to equalize twice before falling short.
Elsewhere, Cape Verde triumphed over Mauritania, securing a 2-0 win in Praia.
Ryan Mendes scored both goals for the Blue Sharks, moving them into second place in Group C, trailing group leaders Egypt, who routed Botswana 4-0.
Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Fathi, and Trezeguet were among the goalscorers in that match.
In Group L, Burkina Faso claimed a 3-1 victory over Malawi in Bamako, thanks to a brace from Lassina Traore.
The win propelled them to the top of their group, overtaking Senegal, who could only manage a 1-1 draw against Burundi.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a goalless draw by Rwanda in Kigali, a result that still keeps them at the top of Group D.
However, Benin’s 2-1 win over Libya brings them within a point of Nigeria.
Steve Mounié and Junior Olaitan’s second-half strikes helped Benin close the gap on the group leaders.
In other results, Algeria cruised to a 3-0 victory over Liberia, with goals from Amine Gouiri, Adem Zorgane, and Baghdad Bounedjah sealing the win.
Meanwhile, Gabon overcame Central African Republic 2-0 at home, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Shavy Babicka finding the back of the net to lead Group B.
Tanzania pulled off an impressive 2-1 away win over Guinea, thanks to Mudathir Yahya’s late strike, and Kenya narrowly defeated Namibia 2-1 in Soweto to top Group J, as John Avire and Duke Abuya scored for the Harambee Stars.
Group Standings After Matchday 2:
- Group A: Tunisia leads with six points, while Comoros has two points. Gambia and Madagascar each have one point.
- Group B: Morocco tops the group with six points. Gabon and Central African Republic trail with three points each, while Lesotho remains without a point.
- Group C: Egypt dominates with six points. Cape Verde is second with three points, followed by Mauritania.
- Group D: Nigeria sits atop with four points, with Benin close behind on three points.
- Group E: Algeria leads with six points, Togo follows with two points, and both Equatorial Guinea and Liberia are on one point.
- Group F: Angola has six points, leading Sudan with three. Ghana and Niger each have one point.
- Group G: Ivory Coast leads with six points, while Zambia follows with two.
- Group H: DR Congo tops the group with six points, Tanzania has four, Ethiopia has one, and Guinea has no points.
- Group I: Mozambique and Mali are tied at the top with four points, and Guinea-Bissau is in third with three.
- Group J: Kenya and Cameroon are both on four points after two matches.
- Group K: Uganda and South Africa are tied with four points each, Congo has three, and South Sudan sits at the bottom.
- Group L: Burkina Faso and Senegal share the lead with four points, while Burundi has three, and Malawi lags behind.
The AFCON 2025 qualifiers will resume in October with Matchday 3 and 4 fixtures.
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