The roster for the upcoming TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire next year is now finalized following the qualification of Cameroon and Namibia on Tuesday.
The Indomitable Lions secured their spot at a record 19th consecutive finals by defeating Burundi 3-0 in Garoua, topping Group C in the process.
Goals from Bryan Mbuemo, Christopher Wooh, and Vincent Aboubakar secured a comfortable victory, fending off the challenge from Namibia, who claimed the second spot to also secure their place at the tournament.
Cameroon joins the host nation, Cote d’Ivoire, and 22 other qualified teams at the January event. Among the qualified teams are continental powerhouses Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, and Algeria.
While there will be no debutants, Gambia is set to make their second appearance at the AFCON. Additionally, teams like Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea, often considered underdogs, have also qualified and aim to surprise the bigger teams.
With the qualifiers now concluded, the focus shifts to the draw, where teams will learn their group-stage opponents. The draw will determine the opening matchups.
Defending champions Senegal, as well as regional powers Egypt, Nigeria, and World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, are expected to be among the favorites heading into the tournament. However, with a wealth of talent across all 24 qualified teams, the competition for continental glory promises to be intense.
Here is the list of qualified countries in alphabetical order:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Cote d’Ivoire (Hosts)
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nigeria
- Senegal (Title Holders)
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Tunisia
- Zambia
