Sadio Mane ‘s injury-time winner against Malawi secured Senegal’s qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), joining Angola, DR Congo, and Egypt who have also booked their places with two rounds of matches remaining.
Mane, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, struck in the 96th minute to earn a 1-0 victory for the Teranga Lions, who progress despite recently parting ways with long-serving coach Aliou Cisse. Senegal joins Burkina Faso at the top of Group L with 10 points each.
Elsewhere, there were surprises as reigning champions Ivory Coast suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Sierra Leone, while Ghana’s hopes of reaching the finals hang by a thread after a 2-0 loss to Sudan.
Ghana Facing Elimination
The Black Stars, captained by West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, find themselves in a precarious position in Group F with just two points from four games. Their fate is now out of their hands, needing to win their remaining matches against Angola and Niger while hoping Sudan lose both of theirs.
Egypt Cruise Through Without Salah
Record seven-time champions Egypt continued their perfect run in Group C with a 1-0 win over Mauritania, despite the absence of captain Mohamed Salah. Ibrahim Adel’s 85th-minute strike secured the victory for the Pharaohs.
DR Congo Maintain Perfect Record
DR Congo also maintained their flawless qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win in Tanzania thanks to two late goals from Meschack Elia. The Leopards have now won all four of their Group H matches without conceding a goal.
Other Qualifiers
Uganda moved closer to securing qualification with a 2-0 win in South Sudan, while Cameroon and Algeria booked their tickets to the tournament with victories on Monday.
The final two rounds of AFCON 2025 qualifiers will take place next month, with the tournament scheduled to kick off in Morocco on December 21, 2025.
Qualified Teams So Far:
Morocco (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Senegal
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