With the Africa Cup of Nations tournament (AFCON) set to take place next year in January 2024, in the Ivory Coast, the 2023 qualifiers are currently underway and entering the final stages, check out everything below about the points table
Going into the competition, this year’s defending champions Senegal, will face some fierce competition from fellow African nations like Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and host nation Ivory Coast.
AFCON 2023 qualifiers points table standings, schedule, date, time, fixtures, groups, teams, results and score
Squad lists for the last round of games in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers from:
• Gambia 🇬🇲
• Mauritania 🇲🇷
• Angola 🇦🇴
• Comoros 🇰🇲
• Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼 #AfricanFootball #TotalEnergiesAFCONQ2023 pic.twitter.com/cB4Bfn1nM7— Micky Jnr ✪ (@MickyJnr__) September 1, 2023
😁😁😁
Already qualified:
Egypt
Guinea
Cote d Voire
DRC
Senegal
Zambia
Nigeriafinal matches, final battles. AFCON Qualifiers.#afcon pic.twitter.com/rg7lamj13w
— legendary penguin 🐧🔥💦 (@ANTHONEE21) September 5, 2023
Senegal are on the hunt to become the first back-to-back AFCON champions since Egypt won in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
AFCON 2023 qualifiers format
The AFCON 2023 qualifiers began with a group stage qualification format. However, prior to that, the lowest-ranked teams played through a preliminary stage, featuring 12 teams competing in six matchups over two legs. The six winners from this stage moved on to the group stage with the other 42 teams.
The 48 teams were then divided into 12 groups of four teams each (Groups A-L). All the teams in each of these groups played against one other in round-robin matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the AFCON 2024 producing the 24 qualified teams.
AFCON 2024 qualified teams
Given below is the list of teams that qualified for the African Cup of Nations in January 2024:
| Sl.No. | Nation | Date Qualified | Grp | Pos | Last AFCON appearance | Best AFCON finish (year) |
| 1. | Ivory Coast | Hosts | H | 1st/2nd | 2022 | Champions (1992, 2015) |
| 2. | Morocco | March 24 | K | 1st/2nd | 2022 | Champions (1976) |
| 3. | Algeria | March 27 | F | 1st | 2022 | Champions (1990, 2019) |
| 4. | Burkina Faso | March 28 | B | 1st/2nd | 2022 | 2nd (2013) |
| 5. | Senegal | March 28 | L | 1st | 2022 | Champions (2022) |
| 6. | South Africa | March 28 | K | 1st/2nd | 2019 | Champions (1996) |
| 7. | Tunisia | March 28 | J | 1st/2nd | 2022 | Champions (2004) |
| 8. | Egypt | June 14 | D | 1st/2nd | 2022 | Champions (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010) |
| 9. | Equatorial Guinea | June 17 | J | 1st/2nd | 2022 | 4th (2015) |
| 10. | Zambia | June 17 | H | 1st/2nd | 2015 | Champions (2012) |
| 11. | Nigeria | June 18 | A | 1st/2nd | 2022 | Champions (1980, 1994, 2013) |
| 12. | Guinea Bissau | June 18 | A | 1st/2nd | 2022 | 14th (2017) |
| 13. | Cape Verde | June 18 | B | 1st/2nd | 2022 | 7th (2013) |
| 14. | Mali | June 18 | G | 1st/2nd | 2022 | 2nd (1972) |
| 15. | Group C (1st place) | TBD | C | 1st | ||
| 16. | Group C (2nd place) | TBD | C | 2nd | ||
| 17. | Group D (2nd place) | TBD | D | 2nd | ||
| 18. | Group E (1st place) | Sept. 4 | E | 1st | ||
| 19. | Group E (2nd place) | Sept. 4 | E | 2nd | ||
| 20. | Tanzania OR Uganda | Sept. 4 | F | 2nd | ||
| 21. | Gambia OR Congo | Sept. 4 | G | 1st/2nd | ||
| 22. | Group I (1st place) | Sept. 4 | I | 1st | ||
| 23. | Group I (2nd place) | Sept. 4 | I | 2nd | ||
| 24. | Mozambique OR Benin | Sept. 4 | L | 2nd |
AFCON Qualifiers 2023 point standings
The organizers divided the 48 nations into 12 groups of four teams each on April 19, 2022. In order to ensure competitively balanced groups, the organizers drew the teams from four separate pots, which were broken down based on FIFA rankings. Each of the 12 groups has one team selected from each of the pots. Since Kenya (Pot 2) and Zimbabwe (Pot 3) continue to remain under FIFA suspension, both countries were eliminated from the competition. As such, their groups (Group C and Group K) will have two qualifiers going to the finals, and only one team getting eliminated. Given below is the final standings for each group:
Group A standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Nigeria (Q) | 12 | 4-0-1 | +12 |
| 2. | Guinea-Bissau (Q) | 10 | 3-1-1 | +5 |
| 3. | Sierra Leone | 5 | 1-2-2 | 0 |
| 4. | Sao Tome & Principe | 1 | 0-1-4 | -17 |
Group B standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Burkina Faso (Q) | 10 | 3-1-1 | +3 |
| 2. | Cape Verde (Q) | 10 | 3-1-1 | +3 |
| 3. | Togo | 5 | 1-2-2 | -1 |
| 4. | Eswatini | 2 | 0-2-3 | -5 |
Group C standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Namibia | 5 | 1-2-0 | +1 |
| 2. | Cameroon | 4 | 1-1-1 | 0 |
| 3. | Burundi | 4 | 1-1-1 | 0 |
| 4. | Kenya | — | — | — |
Group D standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Egypt (Q) | 12 | 4-0-1 | +6 |
| 2. | Guinea (Q) | 9 | 3-0-2 | +2 |
| 3. | Malawi | 4 | 1-1-3 | -6 |
| 4. | Ethiopia | 4 | 1-1-3 | -2 |
Group E standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Ghana | 9 | 2-3-0 | +4 |
| 2. | Angola | 8 | 2-2-1 | +1 |
| 3. | Central African Rep. | 7 | 2-1-2 | +3 |
| 4. | Madagascar | 2 | 0-2-3 | -8 |
Group F standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Algeria (Q) | 15 | 5-0-0 | +7 |
| 2. | Tanzania | 7 | 2-1-2 | -1 |
| 3. | Uganda | 4 | 1-1-3 | -3 |
| 4. | Niger | 2 | 0-2-3 | -3 |
Group G standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Mali (Q) | 12 | 4-0-1 | +9 |
| 2. | Gambia | 9 | 3-0-2 | 0 |
| 3. | Congo | 6 | 2-0-3 | -5 |
| 4. | South Sudan | 3 | 1-0-4 | -4 |
Group H standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Zambia (Q) | 12 | 4-0-1 | +6 |
| 2. | Ivory Coast (Q) | 10 | 3-1-1 | +3 |
| 3. | Comoros | 6 | 2-0-3 | -2 |
| 4. | Lesotho | 1 | 0-1-4 | -7 |
Group I standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | DR Congo | 9 | 3-0-2 | +5 |
| 2. | Mauritania | 7 | 2-1-2 | +1 |
| 3. | Gabon | 6 | 2-0-2 | -2 |
| 4. | Sudan | 6 | 2-0-3 | -5 |
Group J standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Equatorial Guinea (Q) | 12 | 4-0-1 | +2 |
| 2. | Tunisia (Q) | 10 | 3-1-1 | +7 |
| 3. | Botswana | 4 | 1-1-3 | -3 |
| 4. | Libya | 3 | 1-0-4 | -6 |
Group K standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | South Africa (Q) | 7 | 2-1-1 | +1 |
| 2. | Morocco (Q) | 6 | 2-0-1 | +2 |
| 3. | Liberia | 1 | 0-1-2 | -3 |
| 4. | Zimbabwe | — | — | — |
Group L standings
| Pos | Team | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Senegal (Q) | 13 | 4-1-0 | +8 |
| 2. | Mozambique | 7 | 2-1-2 | -4 |
| 3. | Benin | 5 | 1-2-2 | 0 |
| 4. | Rwanda | 2 | 0-2-3 | -6 |
AFCON 2023 qualifiers fixtures and results
Given below are all the group-wise results and fixtures from the qualifiers:
Group A
| Date | Match |
| June 9, 2022 | Guinea-Bissau 5-1 Sao Tome & Principe |
| June 9, 2022 | Nigeria 2-1 Sierra Leone |
| June 13, 2022 | Sao Tome & Principe 0-10 Nigeria |
| June 13, 2022 | Sierra Leone 2-2 Guinea-Bissau |
| March 22, 2023 | Sierra Leone 2-2 Sao Tome & Principe |
| March 24, 2023 | Nigeria 0-1 Guinea-Bissau |
| March 26, 2023 | Sao Tome & Principe 0-2 Sierra Leone |
| March 27, 2023 | Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeria |
| June 14 2023 | Sao Tome & Principe 0-1 Guinea-Bissau |
| June 18, 2023 | Sierra Leone 2-3 Nigeria |
| Sep. 10, 2023 | Nigeria vs. Sao Tome & Principe |
| Sep. 10, 2023 | Guinea-Bissau vs. Sierra Leone |
Group B
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 3, 2022 | Togo 2-2 Eswatini |
| Jun. 3, 2022 | Burkina Faso 2-0 Cape Verde |
| Jun. 7, 2022 | Eswatini 1-3 Burkina Faso |
| Jun. 7, 2022 | Cape Verde 2-0 Togo |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Cape Verde 0-0 Eswatini |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Burkina Faso 1-0 Togo |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Eswatini 0-1 Cape Verde |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Togo 1-1 Burkina Faso |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Cape Verde 3-1 Burkina Faso |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Eswatini 0-2 Togo |
| Sep. 8, 2023 | Burkina Faso vs. Eswatini |
| Sep. 10, 2023 | Togo vs. Cape Verde |
Group C
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | Namibia 1-1 Burundi |
| Jun. 9, 2022 | Burundi 0-1 Cameroon |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Cameroon 1-1 Namibia |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Namibia 2-1 Cameroon |
| Jun. 20, 2023 | Burundi 3-2 Namibia |
| Sep. 12, 2023 | Cameroon vs. Burundi |
Group D fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| June 5, 2022 | Malawi 2-1 Ethiopia |
| June 5, 2022 | Egypt 1-0 Guinea |
| June 9, 2022 | Guinea 1-0 Malawi |
| June 9, 2022 | Ethiopia 2-0 Egypt |
| March 24, 2023 | Egypt 2-0 Malawi |
| March 24, 2023 | Guinea 2-0 Ethiopia |
| March 27, 2023 | Ethiopia 1-3 Guinea |
| March 28, 2023 | Malawi 0-4 Egypt |
| June 14 2023 | Guinea 1-2 Egypt |
| June 20, 2023 | Ethiopia 0-0 Malawi |
| Sep. 8, 2023 | Egypt vs. Ethiopia |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | Malawi vs. Guinea |
Group E fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 1, 2022 | Angola 2-1 Central African Rep. |
| Jun. 1, 2022 | Ghana 3-0 Madagascar |
| Jun. 5, 2022 | Central African Rep. 1-1 Ghana |
| Jun. 5, 2022 | Madagascar 1-1 Angola |
| Mar. 23, 2023 | Madagascar 0-3 Central African Rep. |
| Mar. 23, 2023 | Ghana 1-0 Angola |
| Mar. 27, 2023 | Central African Rep. 2-0 Madagascar |
| Mar. 27, 2023 | Angola 1-1 Ghana |
| Jun. 17, 2023 | Central African Rep. 1-2 Angola |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Madagascar 0-0 Ghana |
| Sep. 7, 2023 | Ghana vs. Central African Rep. |
| Sep. 7, 2023 | Angola vs. Madagascar |
Group F fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | Niger 1-1 Tanzania |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | Algeria 2-0 Uganda |
| Jun. 8, 2022 | Uganda 1-1 Niger |
| Jun. 8, 2022 | Tanzania 0-2 Algeria |
| Mar. 23, 2023 | Algeria 2-1 Niger |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Uganda 0-1 Tanzania |
| Mar. 27, 2023 | Niger 0-1 Algeria |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Tanzania 0-1 Uganda |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Tanzania 1-0 Niger |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Uganda 1-2 Algeria |
| Sep. 7, 2023 | Algeria vs. Tanzania |
| Sep. 7, 2023 | Niger vs. Uganda |
Group G fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | Gambia 1-0 South Sudan |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | Mali 4-0 Congo |
| Jun. 8, 2022 | Congo 1-0 Gambia |
| Jun. 9, 2022 | South Sudan 1-3 Mali |
| Mar. 23, 2023 | Congo 1-2 South Sudan |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Mali 2-0 Gambia |
| Mar. 27, 2023 | South Sudan 0-1 Congo |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Gambia 1-0 Mali |
| Jun. 14, 2023 | South Sudan 2-3 Gambia |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Congo 0-2 Mali |
| Sep. 8, 2023 | Mali vs. South Sudan |
| Sep. 10, 2023 | Gambia vs. Congo |
Group H fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 3, 2022 | Comoros 2-0 Lesotho |
| Jun. 3, 2022 | Ivory Coast 3-1 Zambia |
| Jun. 7, 2022 | Zambia 2-1 Comoros |
| Jun. 9, 2022 | Lesotho 0-0 Ivory Coast |
| Mar. 23, 2023 | Zambia 3-1 Lesotho |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Ivory Coast 3-1 Comoros |
| Mar. 26, 2023 | Lesotho 0-2 Zambia |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Comoros 0-2 Ivory Coast |
| Jun. 17, 2023 | Zambia 3-0 Ivory Coast |
| Jun. 17, 2023 | Lesotho 0-1 Comoros |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | Ivory Coast vs. Lesotho |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | Comoros vs. Zambia |
Group I fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | Mauritania 3-0 Sudan |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | DR Congo 0-1 Gabon |
| Jun. 8, 2022 | Gabon 0-0 Mauritania |
| Jun. 8, 2022 | Sudan 2-1 DR Congo |
| Mar. 23, 2023 | Gabon 1-0 Sudan |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | DR Congo 3-1 Mauritania |
| Mar. 27, 2023 | Sudan 1-0 Gabon |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Mauritania 1-1 DR Congo |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Gabon 0-2 DR Congo |
| Jun. 20, 2023 | Sudan 0-3 Mauritania |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | DR Congo vs. Sudan |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | Mauritania vs. Gabon |
Group J fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 1, 2022 | Libya 1-0 Botswana |
| Jun. 2, 2022 | Tunisia 4-0 Equatorial Guinea |
| Jun. 5, 2022 | Botswana 0-0 Tunisia |
| Jun. 6, 2022 | Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Libya |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Botswana |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Tunisia 3-0 Libya |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Botswana 2-3 Equatorial Guinea |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Libya 0-1 Tunisia |
| Jun. 17, 2023 | Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Tunisia |
| Jun. 17, 2023 | Botswana 1-0 Libya |
| Sep. 6, 2023 | Tunisia vs. Botswana |
| Sep. 7, 2023 | Libya vs. Equatorial Guinea |
Group K fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 9, 2022 | Morocco 2-1 South Africa |
| Jun. 13, 2022 | Liberia 0-2 Morocco |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | South Africa 2-2 Liberia |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Liberia 1-2 South Africa |
| Jun. 17, 2023 | South Africa 2-1 Morocco |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | Morocco vs. Liberia |
Group L fixtures, results
| Date | Match |
| Jun. 2, 2022 | Mozambique 1-1 Rwanda |
| Jun. 4, 2022 | Senegal 3-1 Benin |
| Jun. 7, 2022 | Rwanda 0-1 Senegal |
| Jun. 8, 2022 | Benin 0-1 Mozambique |
| Mar. 22, 2023 | Benin 1-1 Rwanda |
| Mar. 24, 2023 | Senegal 5-1 Mozambique |
| Mar. 28, 2023 | Mozambique 0-1 Senegal |
| Mar. 29, 2023 | Rwanda 0-3 Benin |
| Jun. 17, 2023 | Benin 1-1 Senegal |
| Jun. 18, 2023 | Rwanda 0-2 Mozambique |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | Senegal vs. Rwanda |
| Sep. 9, 2023 | Mozambique vs. Benin |