Qualifiers ‘bridesmaids’ exit AFCON

MBABANE – The dream is over for the underdogs at the AFCON finals.

All the teams that finished second in their TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying groups have been eliminated before the semi-finals.

Right now, only Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt and Senegal are left. These four giants are competing for a huge prize of over E160 million (US$10 million). Every one of them entered the tournament as a group winner.

The runners-up from the qualifiers simply could not keep up. Zimbabwe, Gabon and Botswana were among the first to leave. Benin was knocked out by Egypt, while Equatorial Guinea and Sudan failed to reach at least the quarter-finals.

The last team to fall were Ivory Coast, who lost  2-3 to Egypt in crackerjack showdown yesterday. They join a long list of eliminated teams, including Mozambique, Tunisia and Burkina Faso.

The tournament has shown that there is a big gap between the group winners and the rest. Now, only the strongest teams remain to see who will be crowned the kings of Africa.

QUALIFIERS ‘BRIDESMAIDS’ AFCON 2025 PERFORMANCE:

Team                                   Exit stage

Tunisia                                Last 16

Gabon                                 Group stage

Botswana                           Group stage

Benin                                   Last 16

Equatorial Guinea             Group stage

Sudan                                  Last 16

Ivory Coast                        Quarter-finals

Tanzania                             Last 16

Mozambique                      Last 16

Zimbabwe                          Group stage

Uganda                               Group stage

Burkina Faso                      Last 16