2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the 32nd edition of the international men's football championship of Africa.[1]

2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Tournament details
Dates22 March 2017 – 24 March 2019
Teams51 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played146
Goals scored348 (2.38 per match)
Top scorer(s) Odion Ighalo
(7 goals)
Qualification for championships (CAF)
FIFA World Cup
Africa Cup of Nations

As per the decision of the CAF Executive Committee on 20 July 2017, a total of 24 teams qualified to play in the final tournament.[2]

Draw

A total of 51 teams entered the tournament, including Cameroon which would have qualified automatically for the final tournament as the hosts before their hosting rights were stripped. The draw for the qualifications stage took place on 12 January 2017, 19:30 UTC+1, in Libreville, Gabon.[3]

Seeding

For seeding, the teams were ranked using CAF's own system which were calculated based on the team's performance in the three most recent editions the Africa Cup of Nations final tournaments, the three most recent editions the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaigns, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup final tournament and qualifying campaign.[4]

The teams ranked 1–45 (Pots 1–4) directly entered the group stage, while the teams ranked 46–51 (Pot 5) entered the preliminary round.

Pot Rank Team Tournaments and weighting factor Total
2017
AFCON
Q		 2015
AFCON		 2015
AFCON
Q		 2013
AFCON		 2013
AFCON
Q		 2012
AFCON		 2014
FWC		 2014
FWC
Q
× 2 × 3 × 1 × 2 × 0.5 × 1 × 2 × 1
Pot 1 1  Ivory Coast 8 24 3 6 1.5 6 8 7 63.5
2  Ghana 8 18 4 8 1.5 4 6 7 56.5
3  Nigeria 6 2 16 1.5 12 7 44.5
4  Algeria 8 9 4 2 1.5 12 7 43.5
5  Tunisia 8 9 4 4 1.5 3 5 34.5
6  Mali 8 6 3 8 1.5 4 3 33.5
7  Burkina Faso 8 3 3 12 1.5 1 5 33.5
8  DR Congo 8 12 2 4 1.5 2 29.5
9  Cameroon 8 3 4 1 6 7 29
10  Zambia 4 3 3 4 1.5 8 3 26.5
11  Cape Verde 6 6 4 6 1.5 3 26.5
12  Senegal 8 6 3o 1 1 5 24
Pot 2 13  Gabon 6 6 4 1 3 2 22
14  Guinea 4 9 3 1 2 3 22
15  Congo 6 9 3 0.5 3 21.5
16  Equatorial Guinea 4 12 1 3 1 21
17  South Africa 4 3 4 6 3 20
18  Morocco 8 4 1.5 2 3 18.5
19  Egypt 8 2 0.5 5 15.5
20  Ethiopia 6 1 2 1.5 5 15.5
21  Togo 6 1 6 1.5 1 15.5
22  Angola 4 2 2 1.5 2 2 13.5
23  Uganda 6 2 1 3 12
24  Mozambique 6 2 1 2 11
Pot 3 25  Zimbabwe 8 1 1 10
26  Libya 4 1 2 3 10
27  Botswana 4 1 1 1 2 9
28  Niger 2 1 2 1.5 1 1 8.5
29  Benin 6 0.5 2 8.5
30  Guinea-Bissau 8 0.5 8.5
31  Malawi 2 2 1 3 8
32  Sudan 2 1 1 3 1 8
33  Sierra Leone[nb 1] 4 1 1 2 8
34  Central African Republic 6 1 1 8
35  Tanzania 4 0.5 2 6.5
36  Burundi 6 0.5 6.5
Pot 4 37  Mauritania 6 6
38  Eswatini 6 6
39  Liberia 4 1 1 6
40  Namibia 4 0.5 1 5.5
41  Rwanda 4 0.5 1 5.5
42  Lesotho 2 1 2 5
43  Kenya 2 0.5 2 4.5
44  Seychelles 4 0.5 4.5
45  Gambia 2 0.5 1 3.5
Pot 5 46  Madagascar 2 0.5 2.5
47  São Tomé and Príncipe 2 0.5 2.5
48  South Sudan 2 2
49  Comoros 2 2
50  Djibouti 2 2
51  Mauritius 2 2
No Pot 52  Chad[nb 2] 0.5 0.5
53  Eritrea[nb 3] 0
54  Somalia[nb 3] 0
Notes
  1. Sierra Leone went into the qualifying period, but were disqualified due to a suspension by CAF.
  2. Chad were banned from entering by CAF due to their withdrawal from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tournament.[5]
  3. Eritrea and Somalia did not enter.

Procedure

The nine teams from Pot 4 were drawn in Groups D to L, while the twelve teams from each of the Pots 3, 2 and 1 were drawn in Groups A to L. Then, the six teams from Pot 5 were drawn into three pairings, which would play in the preliminary round. The three winners would advance to Groups A, B and C of the group stage.[6]

Schedule

The schedule of the qualifying tournament was as follows.

Round Matchday Dates Matches
Original dates[7] Revised dates[8]
Preliminary round First leg 20–28 March 2017 Team 1 vs. Team 2
Second leg Team 2 vs. Team 1
Group stage Matchday 1 5–13 June 2017 Team 1 vs. Team 2; Team 3 vs. Team 4
Matchday 2 19–27 March 2018 3–11 September 2018 Team 2 vs. Team 3; Team 4 vs. Team 1
Matchday 3 3–11 September 2018 8–16 October 2018 Team 1 vs. Team 3; Team 2 vs. Team 4
Matchday 4 Team 3 vs. Team 1; Team 4 vs. Team 2
Matchday 5 8–16 October 2018 12–20 November 2018 Team 2 vs. Team 1; Team 4 vs. Team 3
Matchday 6 5–13 November 2018 18–26 March 2019 Team 3 vs. Team 2; Team 1 vs. Team 4

Matchday 2 was postponed at the request of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualified teams so that they could play friendly matches in March 2018 to prepare for the World Cup.[9][10]

Preliminary round
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round

The six teams were drawn into three ties, played in home-and-away two-legged format. The three winners advanced to the group stage to join the 45 teams which entered directly.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
São Tomé and Príncipe  2–4  Madagascar 0–1 2–3
Comoros  3–1  Mauritius 2–0 1–1
Djibouti  2–6  South Sudan 2–0 0–6

Group stage

The 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups of four teams (from Group A to Group L). They consisted of the 45 teams which entered directly, plus the three winners of the preliminary round whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.

The original host Cameroon was drawn into Group B. With the team guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless of its ranking in the group, its matches would have counted in determining the qualification of the other teams.

All group winners plus three best runners-up would have qualified for the finals. From Group B, if Cameroon had finished first or second, the other team placed in the top 2 would have qualified too and no other team would have been eligible to qualify, while if Cameroon had finished third or fourth, the group winner would have qualified and the runner-up would have been eligible to qualify as one of the three best runners-up.[6]

On 20 July 2017, when the first round of the qualifying group stage had already been played, the final tournament was expanded from 16 to 24 teams. Under the new format, the best-placed team other than Cameroon would have qualified from Group B, while the group winners and runners-up would have qualified from all other groups.

On 30 November 2018 Cameroon was stripped of the hosting rights. The team lost its automatic spot for the finals but still could qualify through the qualification process, which it eventually did. On 8 January 2019 Egypt was named as the replacement host. As at that point Egypt had already been assured of a top 2 finish in Group J, the winners and runners-up from all qualification groups would now qualify for the final tournament.

Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 14):[1]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  5. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Away goals scored in all group matches;
  9. Drawing of lots.
  The 12 group winners and runners-up qualified for the final tournament.

Group A
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Senegal 6 5 1 0 12 2 +10 16 Final tournament — 2–0 3–0 3–0
2  Madagascar 6 3 1 2 8 8 0 10 2–2 — 1–0 1–3
3  Equatorial Guinea 6 2 0 4 5 7 −2 6 0–1 0–1 — 1–0
4  Sudan 6 1 0 5 5 13 −8 3 0–1 1–3 1–4 —
Source: CAF

Group B
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Morocco 6 3 2 1 8 3 +5 11[lower-alpha 1] Final tournament — 2–0 3–0 1–0
2  Cameroon 6 3 2 1 6 3 +3 11[lower-alpha 1] 1–0 — 1–0 3–0
3  Malawi 6 1 2 3 2 6 −4 5[lower-alpha 2] 0–0 0–0 — 1–0
4  Comoros 6 1 2 3 5 9 −4 5[lower-alpha 2] 2–2 1–1 2–1 —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head goal difference: Morocco 1, Cameroon –1.
  2. Head-to-head away goals scored: Malawi 1, Comoros 0.

Group C
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mali 6 4 2 0 10 2 +8 14 Final tournament — 0–0 2–1 3–0
2  Burundi 6 2 4 0 11 5 +6 10 1–1 — 1–1 3–0
3  Gabon 6 2 2 2 7 5 +2 8 0–1 1–1 — 3–0
4  South Sudan 6 0 0 6 2 18 −16 0 0–3 2–5 0–1 —
Source: CAF

Group D
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Algeria 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11 Final tournament — 2–0 1–1 1–0
2  Benin 6 3 1 2 5 6 −1 10 1–0 — 1–0 2–1
3  Gambia 6 1 3 2 6 6 0 6 1–1 3–1 — 0–1
4  Togo 6 1 2 3 4 8 −4 5 1–4 0–0 1–1 —
Source: CAF

Group E
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Nigeria 6 4 1 1 14 6 +8 13 Final tournament — 0–2 4–0 3–1
2  South Africa 6 3 3 0 11 2 +9 12 1–1 — 0–0 6–0
3  Libya 6 2 1 3 16 11 +5 7 2–3 1–2 — 5–1
4  Seychelles 6 0 1 5 3 25 −22 1 0–3 0–0 1–8 —
Source: CAF

Group F
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ghana 4 3 0 1 8 1 +7 9 Final tournament — 1–0 5–0 Canc.
2  Kenya 4 2 1 1 4 1 +3 7 1–0 — 3–0 Canc.
3  Ethiopia 4 0 1 3 0 10 −10 1 0–2 0–0 — 1–0
4  Sierra Leone 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Disqualified[lower-alpha 1] Canc. 2–1 Canc. —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. On 30 November 2018, the CAF decided to disqualify Sierra Leone from the qualifiers, and all their matches were annulled, due to FIFA's suspension of the Sierra Leone Football Association on 5 October 2018.[11]

Group G
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Zimbabwe 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11 Final tournament — 1–1 3–0 2–0
2  DR Congo 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9 1–2 — 1–0 3–1
3  Liberia 6 2 1 3 5 9 −4 7 1–0 1–1 — 2–1
4  Congo 6 1 2 3 7 10 −3 5 1–1 1–1 3–1 —
Source: CAF

Group H
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Guinea 6 3 3 0 8 4 +4 12 Final tournament — 1–1 1–0 2–0
2  Ivory Coast 6 3 2 1 12 5 +7 11 2–3 — 4–0 3–0
3  Central African Republic 6 1 3 2 4 8 −4 6 0–0 0–0 — 2–1
4  Rwanda 6 0 2 4 5 12 −7 2 1–1 1–2 2–2 —
Source: CAF

Group I
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group I
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Angola 6 4 0 2 9 6 +3 12[lower-alpha 1] Final tournament — 4–1 2–1 1–0
2  Mauritania 6 4 0 2 7 6 +1 12[lower-alpha 1] 1–0 — 2–0 2–1
3  Burkina Faso 6 3 1 2 8 5 +3 10 3–1 1–0 — 3–0
4  Botswana 6 0 1 5 1 8 −7 1 0–1 0–1 0–0 —
Source: CAF'
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head goal difference: Angola 2, Mauritania –2.

Group J
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group J
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tunisia 6 5 0 1 12 4 +8 15 Final tournament — 1–0 1–0 4–0
2  Egypt[lower-alpha 1] 6 4 1 1 16 5 +11 13 3–2 — 6–0 4–1
3  Niger 6 1 2 3 4 11 −7 5 1–2 1–1 — 0–0
4  Eswatini[lower-alpha 2] 6 0 1 5 2 14 −12 1 0–2 0–2 1–2 —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. Egypt were named as hosts of the final tournament replacing Cameroon on 8 January 2019. At that time, they had already clinched a top two place in Group J and assured of qualification to the final tournament.
  2. The official name of Swaziland was changed to Eswatini in 2018 after they had played their first qualifying match, and since then both FIFA and CAF have used the name Eswatini for official use.[12][13]

Group K
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group K
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Guinea-Bissau 6 2 3 1 8 7 +1 9 Final tournament — 1–0 2–2 2–1
2  Namibia 6 2 2 2 5 7 −2 8[lower-alpha 1] 0–0 — 1–0 1–1
3  Mozambique 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8[lower-alpha 1] 2–2 1–2 — 1–0
4  Zambia 6 2 1 3 8 7 +1 7 2–1 4–1 0–1 —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: Namibia 6, Mozambique 0.

Group L
Main article: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group L
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Uganda 6 4 1 1 7 3 +4 13 Final tournament — 0–0 3–0 1–0
2  Tanzania 6 2 2 2 6 5 +1 8 3–0 — 1–1 2–0
3  Lesotho 6 1 3 2 3 7 −4 6 0–2 1–0 — 1–1
4  Cape Verde 6 1 2 3 4 5 −1 5 0–1 3–0 0–0 —
Source: CAF

Qualified teams
  Qualified
  Failed to qualify
  Withdrew, disqualified or did not enter
  Not part of CAF

The following 24 teams qualified for the final tournament.

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in Africa Cup of Nations1
 SenegalGroup A winners16 October 201814 (1965, 1968, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017)
 MadagascarGroup A runners-up16 October 20180 (debut)
 MoroccoGroup B winners17 November 201816 (1972, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017)
 CameroonGroup B runners-up23 March 201918 (1970, 1972, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017)
 MaliGroup C winners17 November 201810 (1972, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 BurundiGroup C runners-up23 March 20190 (debut)
 AlgeriaGroup D winners18 November 201817 (1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 BeninGroup D runners-up24 March 20193 (2004, 2008, 2010)
 NigeriaGroup E winners17 November 201817 (1963, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013)
 South AfricaGroup E runners-up24 March 20199 (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015)
 GhanaGroup F winners30 November 201821 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 KenyaGroup F runners-up30 November 20185 (1972, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2004)
 ZimbabweGroup G winners24 March 20193 (2004, 2006, 2017)
 DR CongoGroup G runners-up24 March 201918 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 GuineaGroup H winners18 November 201811 (1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015)
 Ivory CoastGroup H runners-up18 November 201822 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 AngolaGroup I winners22 March 20197 (1996, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013)
 MauritaniaGroup I runners-up18 November 20180 (debut)
 TunisiaGroup J winners16 October 201818 (1962, 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 EgyptGroup J runners-up / Hosts16 October 201823 (1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017)
 Guinea-BissauGroup K winners23 March 20191 (2017)
 NamibiaGroup K runners-up23 March 20192 (1998, 2008)
 UgandaGroup L winners17 November 20186 (1962, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1978, 2017)
 TanzaniaGroup L runners-up24 March 20191 (1980)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.

Goalscorers
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal

References
  1. "Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations" (PDF). Confederation of African Football.
  2. "DECISIONS OF CAF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – 20 JULY 2017". Confederation of African Football.
  3. "Total Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon: Draw results and fixtures". CAF. 13 January 2017.
  4. "Ranking". CAFonline.com. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. "Withdrawal of Chad from AFCON 2017 Qualifiers". CAFonline.com. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  6. "Draw Procedure of the Qualifiers of the 32nd Edition of Total Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2019" (PDF). CAFonline.com. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  7. "Qualifiers of the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 / Eliminatoires de la Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 2019" (PDF). CAF.
  8. "New Dates of the Qualifiers of AFCON, Cameroon 2019" (PDF). CAF.
  9. "Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers moved for World Cup finalists". BBC Sport. 17 November 2017.
  10. "Revised dates for Total AFCON Cameroon 2019 qualifiers". CAF. 22 November 2017.
  11. "Sierra Leone disqualified from Total AFCON 2019 qualifiers". CAF. 3 December 2018.
  12. "Matches - Eswatini". FIFA.com.
  13. "CAF - 32nd Edition of Total Africa Cup of Nations - Eswatini". CAF.
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