Nigeria have been awarded a 3-0 victory over Libya, and three vital points, from their scheduled Africa Cup of Nations qualifier earlier this month which they refused to play after being stuck in a remote Libyan airport for half a day before the match.
African football fans were treated to a spectacular, if controversial, international break.
A 96th-minute winner from Sadio Mane earned Senegal a 1-0 win over Malawi and a place at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco next year, but Ghana are in serious danger of missing out after a surprise loss to Sudan on Tuesday.
Nigeria have pulled out of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya on Monday, according to their captain William Troost-Ekong and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
ESPN has the definitive explainer on everything you need to know about Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, including the AFCON table, standings, rules and schedule.
A spicy dimension has been added to the reverse fixture of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations between Nigeria and Libya, with each sides accusing the other of pre-match travel sabotage.
Mohamed Salah was on target to help Egypt maintain their 100% record in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Mauritania, but Tunisia slipped to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Comoros in their fixture on Friday.
Wasteful Ghana were held to a 0-0 home draw by Sudan in Africa Cup of Nations qualification on Thursday to leave them in a perilous position midway through the campaign, but several sides edged closer to the finals in Morocco late next year.
With Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen out injured, the spotlight will be on Victor Boniface for another opportunity to prove he can translate his club form to the international stage.
Egypt fans are salivating at the prospect of Marmoush partnering Salah in Mauritania AFCON double-header.
Injury has knocked star striker Victor Osimhen out of the Nigeria squad to take on Libya in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier double header against Libya this month.
From unforgettable debuts to African heavyweights being humbled, here's the current state of affairs across the continent following the first international break of the 2024-25 season.
Four points, three goals, two clean sheets, one win and one draw have seen Augustine Eguavoen guide Nigeria to the top of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group. But will he stay in the job?
Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen stole the headlines for Nigeria in their win against Benin on the weekend, but more will be required to make it through the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers successfully.
Nigeria striker Ademola Lookman continued his outstanding year with two goals to help his country to a 3-0 home win over neighbours Benin in their opening 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday.
The major talking points, the fixtures to watch, and some of the new faces set to earn their first caps.
Forward Victor Osimhen and vice-captain William Troost-Ekong are back in the Nigeria squad for new coach Bruno Labbadia's first assignment as Super Eagles coach.
A nervy Cameroon scored twice in the second half to beat Burundi 3-0 in Garoua on Tuesday and qualify for January's Africa Cup of Nations finals, overcoming their plucky opponents as André Onana marked his return to the team with a series of key saves.
DR Congo, Mauritania and Mozambique qualified for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals with wins on Saturday, but the games were overshadowed by the earthquake in Morocco that killed more than 1,000 people.
Ghana, Angola and Tanzania qualified for January's African Cup of Nations finals when they finished in the top two of their respective groups on Thursday.
Manchester United risk losing André Onana for a month in the new year after the goalkeeper confirmed his return to international duty with Cameroon.
Jose Peseiro's contract as Nigeria men's national team coach has been renewed after he agreed to take a significant reduction in wages.
Manchester United's new goalkeeper Andre Onana has been recalled to Cameroon's squad some nine months after he walked out on the team during the World Cup in Qatar.
| Group A | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 7 |
| Comoros | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | +1 | 6 |
| Gambia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Madagascar | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 2 |
| Group B | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Morocco | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +13 | 12 |
| Gabon | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 7 |
| Central African Republic | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -9 | 3 |
| Lesotho | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 1 |
| Group C | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Egypt | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 12 |
| Botswana | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 6 |
| Cape Verde Islands | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 3 |
| Mauritania | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 3 |
| Group D | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| Benin | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Rwanda | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -2 | 5 |
| Libya | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| Group E | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Algeria | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 12 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Togo | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -5 | 2 |
| Liberia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 1 |
| Group F | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Angola | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 12 |
| Sudan | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +2 | 7 |
| Ghana | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| Niger | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -4 | 1 |
| Group G | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Ivory Coast | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +6 | 9 |
| Zambia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Sierra Leone | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 4 |
| Chad | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| Group H | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Congo DR | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 12 |
| Guinea | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
| Tanzania | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 4 |
| Ethiopia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -8 | 1 |
| Group I | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Mozambique | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | +4 | 8 |
| Mali | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 8 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 4 |
| Eswatini | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 1 |
| Group J | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Cameroon | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | +5 | 10 |
| Zimbabwe | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | +3 | 8 |
| Kenya | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 4 |
| Namibia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -5 | 0 |
| Group K | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Uganda | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 10 |
| South Africa | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | +6 | 8 |
| Congo | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 4 |
| South Sudan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
| Group L | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Burkina Faso | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | +7 | 10 |
| Senegal | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | +6 | 10 |
| Burundi | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 3 |
| Malawi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -8 | 0 |
