The first round of qualifiers for the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicked off on Wednesday, setting the stage for the biennial African football tournament scheduled for December 2025 in Morocco.
Egypt, boasting a record seven AFCON titles, launched its campaign against Cape Verde, aiming to make amends after a disappointing last-16 penalty shootout defeat against the Democratic Republic of Congo at AFCON 2023. The tournament was marred by a group-stage injury for Liverpool star and national team captain Mohamed Salah, forcing him to return to England prematurely.
Defending champion Ivory Coast will be without its talisman Sebastien Haller as it takes on Zambia in its opening fixture.
Morocco, who secured automatic qualification for the 2025 finals as the host nation, decided to participate in the qualifiers to gain valuable competitive match practice. They will face Gabon in their opening game, hoping to improve upon their round of 16 exit in the previous edition held in South Africa.
Here’s a complete rundown of all the matches taking place during the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers:
Matchday 1 (All times are in IST):
* September 4 – Comoros vs Gambia – Group A – 8:30 PM
* September 4 – Libya vs Rwanda – Group D – 9:30 PM
* September 4 – Tanzania vs Ethiopia – Group H – 9:30 PM
* September 5 – Sudan vs Niger – Group F – 12:30 AM
* September 5 – Central Africa Republic vs Lesotho – Group B – 8:30 PM
* September 5 – Ghana vs Angola – Group F – 9:30 PM
* September 5 – Guinea Bissau vs Eswatini – Group I – 9:30 PM
* September 5 – Congo vs South Sudan – Group K – 9:30 PM
* September 6 – Tunisia vs Madagascar – Group A – 12:30 AM
* September 6 – Algeria vs Equatorial Guinea – Group E – 12:30 AM
* September 6 – Kenya vs Zimbabwe – Group J – 6:30 PM
* September 6 – Togo vs Liberia – Group E – 9:30 PM
* September 6 – Sierra Leone vs Chad – Group G – 9:30 PM
* September 6 – Democratic Republic of Congo vs Guinea – Group H – 9:30 PM
* September 6 – South Africa vs Uganda – Group K – 9:30 PM
* September 6 – Morocco vs Gabon – Group B – 11:30 PM
* September 7 – Egypt vs Cape Verde – Group C – 12:30 AM
* September 7 – Ivory Coast vs Zambia – Group G – 12:30 AM
* September 7 – Mali vs Mozambique – Group I – 12:30 AM
* September 7 – Senegal vs Burkina Faso – Group L – 12:30 AM
* September 7 – Mauritiana vs Botswana – Group C – 9:30 PM
* September 7 – Nigeria vs Benin – Group D – 9:30 PM
* September 7 – Cameroon vs Namibia – Group J – 9:30 PM
Matchday 2 (All times are in IST):
* September 8 – Gambia vs Tunisia – Group A – 6:30 PM
* September 9 – Burundi vs Senegal – Group L – 6:30 PM
* September 9 – Madagascar vs Comoros – Group A – 8:30 PM
* September 9 – Niger vs Ghana – Group F – 8:30 PM
* September 9 – Equatorial Guinea vs Togo – Group E – 8:30 PM
* September 9 – Uganda vs Congo – Group K – 9:30 PM
* September 9 – Lesotho vs Morocco – Group B – 11:30 PM
* September 10 – Angola vs Sudan – Group F – 12:30 AM
* September 10 – Ethiopia vs Democratic Republic of Congo – Group H – 12:30 AM
* September 10 – Botswana vs Egypt – Group C – 6:30 PM
* September 10 – Rwanda vs Nigeria – Group D – 6:30 PM
* September 10 – Eswatini vs Mali – Group I – 6:30 PM
* September 10 – Mozambique vs Guinea Bissau – Group I – 6:30 PM
* September 10 – South Sudan vs South Africa – Group K – 6:30 PM
* September 10 – Gabon vs Central African Republic – Group B – 9:30 PM
* September 10 – Liberia vs Algeria – Group E – 9:30 PM
* September 10 – Guinea vs Tanzania – Group H – 9:30 PM
* September 10 – Zimbabwe vs Cameroon – Group J – 9:30 PM
* September 10 – Namibia vs Kenya – Group J – 9:30 PM
* September 11 – Cape Verde vs Mauritiana – Group C – 12:30 AM
* September 11 – Benin vs Libya – Group D – 12:30 AM
* September 11 – Chad vs Ivory Coast – Group G – 12:30 AM
* September 11 – Zambia vs Sierra Leone – Group G – 12:30 AM
* September 11 – Burkina Faso vs Malawi – Group L – 12:30 AM
