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African Qualifiers: Which teams have made it to the next round?

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Let’s take a look at the ten teams that have made it to the final round of the African qualifiers.

The second round of the African qualifiers for the next year’s FIFA World Cup was concluded on Tuesday. Ten nations topped their respective groups and made it to the next and final round of the qualifiers.

The ten teams will be drawn into five playoff fixtures to determine the five nations that will qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

The second round was tense and controversial, giving African football fans every reason to look out for the final stage. But before that, let’s take a look at the ten teams that have made it to the knock-out round.

Algeria 🇩🇿

Similar to the first round, the defending African champions lived up to expectations in the second group stage. A draw against Burkina Faso on Tuesday was enough for Les Fennecs to get to the next round. 

Algeria won Group A of the qualifiers with 14 points, two points ahead of Burkina Faso, who finished second. Djamel Belmadi’s side will now prepare for their first Africa Cup of Nations match against Sierra Leone on January 11.

Tunisia 🇹🇳

The Carthage Eagles topped Group B of the qualifiers with 13 points as they leapfrogged Equatorial Guinea. The North African national team ended the second round in style as they beat Zambia 3-1 on Tuesday. 

Ali Maloul displayed yet another brilliant performance for Tunisia as they anticipate a tough battle against Mali, Gambia, and Mauritania in the upcoming AFCONs.

Nigeria 🇳🇬

The Super Eagles are widely considered among the favourites to win this year’s AFCONs. They made sure to fulfil expectations as they won Group C of the qualifiers with 13 points.

Nigeria will face Egypt in a much-anticipated game to open their AFCON 2022 tournament.

Cameroon 🇨🇲

Many observers considered Group D of the qualifiers as the ‘Group of Death’. With 15 points from six games, Cameroon made it to the next round by edging out Ivory Coast on the group table.

The Indomitable Lions will face Burkina Faso in their opening game of the AFCON tournament.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – SEPTEMBER 07: Yamikani Chester of Malawi and Zainadine Junior of Mozambique during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Malawi and Mozambique at Orlando Stadium on September 07, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

Mali 🇲🇱

The Eagles finished the second round without a defeat as they displayed great form. Mali finished seven points ahead of Uganda as they dominated Group E of the qualifiers.

Considering their performances during the qualifiers, big teams must watch out for Mali in the AFCONs. They will start their campaign with a match against Tunisia on January 12.

Egypt 🇪🇬

Mohamed Salah and co won Group F of the qualifiers with 14 points, seven ahead of Gabon. Carlos Queiroz’s side are among the top contenders for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, given their abundance of talent. 

The Pharaohs will compete with Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Sudan in Group D of the competition.

Ghana 🇬🇭

Group G of the qualifiers was decided by a controversial penalty in Ghana’s game against South Africa on Sunday. The South African FA issued an official complaint about the incident to FIFA. The result of the appeal could change the group’s current standings.

As of now, Ghana have won the group with 13 points. South Africa collected the same amount of points and had the same goal difference. However, they were edged out by Ghana’s total goal tally.

Ghana will kick-start their AFCON tournament with a match against Morocco on January 10.

Senegal 🇸🇳

The Teranga Lions were among the teams that finished the round without a defeat. Senegal collected 16 points in Group H, thanks to a host of top-class players in their squad.

Aliou Cisse’s side will start their AFCON campaign with a match against Zimbabwe on January 10.

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Morocco 🇲🇦

The Atlas Lions were the only team that finished the second round with a perfect record. They won all six of their games to qualify ahead of Guinea-Bissau. 

Morocco will face Ghana, Comoros, and Gabon in the ‘Group of Death’ of this year’s AFCONs.

DR Congo 🇨🇩

Congo were among the teams that secured their qualification on the last day. The Leopards defeated Benin with a 2-0 result on Monday to qualify ahead of them with 11 points. 

Congo have bounced back from their underwhelming performances earlier this year that saw them miss out on this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

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