Senegal qualify for 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana in danger of ...

Sadio Mane scored a late winner for Senegal as they beat Malawi 1-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match, with the result enough to ensure a place at next year’s tournament. 

The result puts Senegal on 10 points in Group L alongside Burkina Faso, although they lie second on goal difference.

But with Burundi and Malawi languishing far behind, 10 points are enough for Senegal to book their spot in Morocco in 2025.

There are two further rounds of qualifiers to go next month, before next year’s tournament begins in December. 

With Senegal and Burkina Faso ensuring their qualification, they join a number of other countries who have already made it through. 

Egypt will be at AFCON 25 after beating Mauritania 1-0 despite being without star player and captain Mohamed Salah.

They are top of Group C with four wins from four matches, with Botswana looking the best placed to also qualify from that group.

DR Congo beat Tanzania 2-0 to also sit on 12 points with four wins from four in Group H, while Cameroon’s 1-0 win over Kenya was enough for them to progress from Group J.

Algeria beat Togo 1-0 courtesy of a Ramy Bensebaini penalty to keep their winning run going in Group E, and joining them in qualifying were Angola, who beat Niger 1-0. 

It is all to play for in Group A, with little to choose between Tunisia, Comoros and Gambia, while there was drama in Group D after Nigeria forfeited their match against Libya.

In Group G, Ivory Coast looked set to ensure their qualification before suffering a surprising 1-0 defeat to Sierra Leone, although the reigning champions remain in a good position at the top of the standings with nine points.

Cameroon will look to guarantee their qualification in the next round, when the Group J leaders play bottom of the table Namibia in November.

‘He deserves it more than anybody else!’ – Scaloni backs Martinez for Ballon d’Or

Ghana look unlikely to make it through Group F, with just two points to show from their opening four matches. 

They lost 2-0 to Sudan in the latest round of matches, and sit third with just two points – five behind second-placed Sudan, with Angola already qualified from Group F.

The match was played in the Libyan city of Benghazi, as Sudan cannot currently play at home – but even playing at a neutral venue didn’t aid Ghana, who looked short of confidence throughout. 

Ahmed Al-Tash opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, a messy goal that had the keeper stranded after Seif Teiri had hit the post.

Mohamed Abdelrahman then made it two a few minutes later, to leave Ghana needing a result against group leaders Angola when they meet on November 11. 

Teams qualified for AFCON 25 so far include hosts Morocco, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt and Senegal.

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.