2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches will be organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the 33rd edition of the international men's football championship of Africa. A total of 24 teams will qualify to play in the final tournament, including Cameroon who qualified automatically as hosts.

2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Tournament details
Dates9 October 2019 – 30 March 2021
Teams52 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played104
Goals scored236 (2.27 per match)
Top scorer(s) Victor Osimhen
(4 goals)
Qualification for championships (CAF)
FIFA World Cup
Africa Cup of Nations

Draw

The draw took place on 18 July 2019, 18:30 CAT (UTC+2), in Cairo, Egypt.[1] A total of 52 teams entered the tournament, including the hosts Cameroon, while Eritrea and Somalia chose to not enter the qualifiers.

Seeding

The teams were seeded based upon their June 2019 FIFA World Rankings (points shown in parentheses).[2] All 44 teams from Pot 1 to Pot 4 entered the competition at the group stage, while teams from Pot 5 had to compete at the preliminary round in order to advance to the group stage.

Each group contained one team from Pot 1, Pot 2 and Pot 3. Groups from Group A to Group D contained a winning team from the preliminary round, while groups from Group E to Group L contained a team from Pot 4

Pot Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5
Teams

Schedule

The schedule of the qualifying competition is as follows. After the rescheduling of the final tournament from June/July to January/February, the dates of the matchdays 3–6 of the group stage were also rescheduled.[3]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all matches of matchdays 3 and 4 scheduled for March 2020 had been postponed until further notice.[4] FIFA had recommended that all June 2020 international matches (matchday 5) be postponed,[5] and also postponed the September 2020 window (matchday 6) for CAF.[6]

On 30 June 2020, the CAF announced the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final tournament had been postponed from January 2021 to January 2022, without announcing the new dates of the remaining qualifiers.[7] On 19 August 2020, CAF announced the second revised dates for both Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[8]

Round Matchday Dates Matches
Original dates Revised dates Second revised dates
Preliminary round First leg 9 October 2019 Team 1 vs. Team 2
Second leg 13 October 2019 Team 2 vs. Team 1
Group stage Match Day 1 13–16 November 2019 Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4
Match Day 2 17–19 November 2019 Team 4 vs. Team 1, Team 2 vs. Team 3
Match Day 3 31 August – 8 September 2020 23–31 March 2020 9–17 November 2020 Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 4
Match Day 4 Team 3 vs. Team 1, Team 4 vs. Team 2
Match Day 5 5–13 October 2020 1–9 June 2020 22–30 March 2021 Team 2 vs. Team 1, Team 4 vs. Team 3
Match Day 6 9–17 November 2020 31 August – 8 September 2020 Team 1 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 2

Preliminary round
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round

All 8 teams from Pot 5 were drawn into 4 ties and played in home-and-away two-legged format. The 4 winners advanced to the group stage to join the 44 teams which entered directly. They went to positions A4, B4, C4 and D4 respectively based on their tie number.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Liberia  1–1 (4–5 p)  Chad 1–0 0–1
South Sudan  3–1  Seychelles 2–1 1–0
Mauritius  2–5  São Tomé and Príncipe 1–3 1–2
Djibouti  2–2 (2–3 p)  Gambia 1–1 1–1

Group stage

The 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups of four teams (from Group A to Group L). Teams consisted of the 44 teams which entered directly, in addition to the 4 winners of the preliminary round whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.

The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations host, Cameroon, participates in the qualifiers with the team guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless of its ranking in the group. Their matches and results will count in determining the qualification of the other teams from their group. If Cameroon finishes out of top two teams in the group, a runner-up will not qualify for the main tournament.

Tiebreakers

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

  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 are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are 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 qualify for the final tournament.

Group A
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mali (Q) 4 3 1 0 7 3 +4 10 Qualify for final tournament — 2–2 1–0 30 Mar
2  Guinea 4 2 2 0 6 3 +3 8 22 Mar — 2–0 1–0
3  Namibia 4 1 0 3 3 6 −3 3 1–2 30 Mar — 2–1
4  Chad (E) 4 0 1 3 2 6 −4 1 0–2 1–1 22 Mar —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated.

Group B
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Burkina Faso 4 2 2 0 5 2 +3 8 Qualify for final tournament — 0–0 3–1 30 Mar
2  Uganda 4 2 1 1 3 1 +2 7 22 Mar — 2–0 1–0
3  Malawi 4 1 1 2 2 5 −3 4 0–0 30 Mar — 1–0
4  South Sudan 4 1 0 3 2 4 −2 3 1–2 1–0 22 Mar —
Updated to match(es) played on 16 November 2020. Source: CAF

Group C
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ghana 4 3 0 1 5 1 +4 9[lower-alpha 1] Qualify for final tournament — 2–0 2–0 30 Mar
2  South Africa 4 3 0 1 7 4 +3 9[lower-alpha 1] 22 Mar — 1–0 2–0
3  Sudan 4 2 0 2 5 3 +2 6 1–0 30 Mar — 4–0
4  São Tomé and Príncipe (E) 4 0 0 4 2 11 −9 0 0–1 2–4 22 Mar —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF
(E) Eliminated.
Notes:
  1. Ranked on H2H record: Ghana 3, South Africa 0.

Group D
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Gambia 4 2 1 1 8 6 +2 7 Qualify for final tournament — 2–1 2–2 22 Mar
2  Gabon 4 2 1 1 5 4 +1 7 2–1 — 22 Mar 2–1
3  DR Congo 4 1 3 0 3 2 +1 6 30 Mar 0–0 — 0–0
4  Angola 4 0 1 3 2 6 −4 1 1–3 30 Mar 0–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF

Group E
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Morocco 4 3 1 0 9 1 +8 10 Qualify for final tournament — 0–0 30 Mar 4–1
2  Mauritania 4 1 2 1 4 4 0 5 22 Mar — 1–1 2–0
3  Burundi 4 1 1 2 4 7 −3 4 0–3 3–1 — 22 Mar
4  Central African Republic 4 1 0 3 3 8 −5 3 0–2 30 Mar 2–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF

Group F
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Cameroon (Q) 4 3 1 0 7 1 +6 10 Qualify for final tournament — 4–1 0–0 30 Mar
2  Mozambique 4 1 1 2 5 8 −3 4[lower-alpha 1] 0–2 — 30 Mar 2–0
3  Cape Verde 4 0 4 0 2 2 0 4[lower-alpha 1] 22 Mar 2–2 — 0–0
4  Rwanda 4 0 2 2 0 3 −3 2 0–1 22 Mar 0–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated.
Notes:
  1. Ranked on H2H away goals scored: Mozambique 2, Cape Verde 0.

Group G
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Egypt 4 2 2 0 5 2 +3 8 Qualify for final tournament — 30 Mar 1–1 1–0
2  Comoros 4 2 2 0 4 2 +2 8 0–0 — 2–1 22 Mar
3  Kenya 4 0 3 1 4 5 −1 3 22 Mar 1–1 — 1–1
4  Togo (E) 4 0 1 3 2 6 −4 1 1–3 0–1 30 Mar —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF
(E) Eliminated.

Group H
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Algeria (Q) 4 3 1 0 11 3 +8 10 Qualify for final tournament — 3–1 30 Mar 5–0
2  Zimbabwe 4 1 2 1 5 6 −1 5 2–2 — 0–0 30 Mar
3  Botswana 4 1 1 2 2 3 −1 4 0–1 22 Mar — 1–0
4  Zambia 4 1 0 3 3 9 −6 3 22 Mar 1–2 2–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 16 November 2020. Source: CAF
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated.

Group I
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group I
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Senegal (Q) 4 4 0 0 9 1 +8 12 Qualify for final tournament — 2–0 2–0 30 Mar
2  Congo 4 2 1 1 5 2 +3 7 22 Mar — 3–0 2–0
3  Guinea-Bissau 4 1 0 3 3 6 −3 3 0–1 30 Mar — 3–0
4  Eswatini (E) 4 0 1 3 1 9 −8 1 1–4 0–0 22 Mar —
Updated to match(es) played on 16 November 2020. Source: CAF
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated.

Group J
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group J
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tunisia (Q) 4 3 1 0 7 2 +5 10 Qualify for final tournament — 30 Mar 1–0 4–1
2  Equatorial Guinea 4 2 0 2 5 5 0 6 0–1 — 22 Mar 1–0
3  Tanzania 4 1 1 2 4 5 −1 4 1–1 2–1 — 30 Mar
4  Libya 4 1 0 3 5 9 −4 3 22 Mar 2–3 2–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated.

Group K
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group K
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ivory Coast 4 2 1 1 5 4 +1 7[lower-alpha 1] Qualify for final tournament — 2–1 30 Mar 1–0
2  Madagascar 4 2 1 1 9 5 +4 7[lower-alpha 1] 1–1 — 1–0 30 Mar
3  Ethiopia 4 2 0 2 5 3 +2 6 2–1 22 Mar — 3–0
4  Niger 4 1 0 3 3 10 −7 3 22 Mar 2–6 1–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. Ranked on head-to-head points: Ivory Coast 4, Madagascar 1.

Group L
Main article: 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group L
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Nigeria 4 2 2 0 10 7 +3 8 Qualify for final tournament — 2–1 4–4 30 Mar
2  Benin 4 2 1 1 3 2 +1 7 22 Mar — 1–0 1–0
3  Sierra Leone 4 0 3 1 5 6 −1 3 0–0 30 Mar — 1–1
4  Lesotho 4 0 2 2 3 6 −3 2 2–4 0–0 22 Mar —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2020. Source: CAF

Qualified teams

The following teams have qualified for the final tournament.

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in Africa Cup of Nations1
 CameroonHosts8 January 201919 (1970, 1972, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019)
 MaliGroup A winners or runners-up17 November 202011 (1972, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
 AlgeriaGroup H winners or runners-up16 November 202018 (1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
 SenegalGroup I winners or runners-up15 November 202015 (1965, 1968, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019)
 TunisiaGroup J winners or runners-up17 November 202019 (1962, 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.

Top goalscorers

There have been 236 goals scored in 104 matches, for an average of 2.27 goals per match (as of 17 November 2020). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

References
  1. "Draw for 2021 Africa Cup of Nations released". CAF. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  3. "CAF reschedules dates of Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers". Ahram Online. 16 January 2020.
  4. "Total AFCON 2021 qualifiers postponed". CAF. 13 March 2020.
  5. "Dedicated COVID-19 working group proposes recommendations after first meeting". FIFA.com. 3 April 2020.
  6. "FIFA Council unanimously approves COVID-19 Relief Plan". FIFA.com. 25 June 2020.
  7. "Decisions of CAF Executive Meeting – 30 June 2020". CAF. 30 June 2020.
  8. "Cameroon 2021 qualifiers resume November, Qatar 2022 set for May 2021". CAF. 19 August 2020.
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