The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco has reached a defining stage, with six teams officially eliminated while six nations have already secured qualification for the Round of 16.
Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Comoros have all seen their AFCON dreams come to an early end following disappointing group-stage performances.
Botswana were the first nation to bow out after suffering defeats in their opening two matches. Equatorial Guinea and Gabon soon followed, failing to register points in their respective groups.
Zambia’s exit was confirmed on Monday night after a comprehensive 3–0 loss to host nation Morocco, a result that left them mathematically eliminated. Comoros also crashed out despite finishing third in their group, becoming the first third-placed team unable to accumulate enough points to advance under the competition’s format.
On the other side of the divide, six teams have already booked their places in the knockout stage. Algeria, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt all secured enough points from their group matches to progress to the Round of 16.
With group-stage matches still ongoing, attention now turns to which additional teams will join the early qualifiers—and which will follow the already eliminated sides out of the tournament.
