1 week Ago
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Four-time Africa Cup of Nations winners Ghana could see their streak of 10 successive appearances at the tournament come to an end this week as victories in their remaining two qualifiers may not be enough to seal a place at the finals in Morocco. Only Egypt (26) and Ivory Coast (25) have been to more Cup of Nations finals than the Black Stars (24) but Ghana are likely to be out of contention by Thursday after a woeful qualifying campaign. The top two finishers in each of the 12 groups advance to next year's finals.
Ghana are third in Group F with two points from four matches, with Angola already qualified and Sudan needing just a draw from two games to join them. Angola have a 100% record with four straight wins while Sudan are on seven points and face bottom-placed Niger in neutral Togo on Thursday. Sudan also have the upper hand on Ghana on a head-to-head basis.
Ghana must beat Angola in Luanda and Niger at home and hope Sudan lose both their matches if they are to qualify. The future of coach Otto Addo could be on the line if Ghana miss out. Angola, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, hosts Morocco and Senegal have already booked their spots at the 24-team tournament, which runs from Dec.
21, 2025 until Jan. 18, 2026. Holders Ivory Coast start their final pair of Group G fixtures at Zambia on Friday needing a point to qualify.
Nigeria, who were awarded the points from last month’s aborted tie in Libya where they refused to play after being stuck in a remote airport for half a day before the match, can secure their place with a win over Benin in neutral Abidjan. Tunisia fired coach Faouzi Benzarti after a shock home loss to the tiny Comoros Islands last month but are still top of Group A as they attempt to secure a record-extending 17th successive appearance at the finals. Caretaker coach Kais Yaacoubi will lead the team to face Madagascar in neutral South Africa on Thursday where a win would all but ensure they go to the finals once again.
Madagascar are among 18 countries unable to host home qualifiers after the Confederation of African Football ruled their facilities inadequate for internationals. (Editing by Peter Rutherford).
