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General view of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on display before the final between Senegal and Egypt at Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon – February 6, 2022.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles concluded their Africa Cup of Nations Group D qualifiers with a shocking 2-1 loss to Rwanda.
The match, held on Monday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, showcased the underdog’s resilience as the Rwandan side came from behind to secure victory.
However, Nigeria had already qualified for AFCON 2025 in Morocco, finishing top of the group with 11 points.
With only a few matches left in the qualifiers, 21 teams have already secured their places in the tournament.
Monday’s results saw two more nations securing their places in Africa’s flagship competition, with Sudan and Benin sealing their slots.
Nigeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Uganda, Gabon and Equitorial Guinea clinched their spots last week, joining a growing list of African football powerhouses that will be featured in the 24-team tournament.
Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Comoros were also among the countries that sealed their places last week.
The confirmed participants consist of regular tournament contenders, as well as emerging teams in African football. Host nation, Morocco, automatically qualified alongside consistent performers Senegal and Algeria.
For South Africa, qualification marks a return to Africa’s biggest football stage after their impressive showing at the previous tournament held in Ivory Coast.
And, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says the next mission is to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“My worry is now to qualify for the world cup and we will see how we are going to do that in March, September, and October that is our goal now except the game of tomorrow. But after the game of tomorrow, the focus will be on qualifying for the world cup because we want that and not only we but I think all South Africans want the world cup. So this is what we will try to do, and this is what we will analyse in the next months how can we be better even better than now”.
In some of the unexpected results this week Nigeria lost 2-1 at home to minnows Rwanda. Samuel Chukwueze gave Nigeria the lead in the 59th minute, delighting the home crowd. However Rwanda quickly retaliated, with Aimable Mutinzi equalising in the 72nd minute.
Just three minutes later, Imanishimwe Nshuti completed the comeback, sealing a memorable win for Rwanda. Despite the defeat, Nigeria topped Group D with three wins, two draws, and one loss, earning 11 points.
Benin and Rwanda both finished with eight points but Benin secured second place on goal difference to join Nigeria in the AFCON tournament.
Libya finished at the bottom of the group with five points.
In other results on Monday, Malawi beat Burkina Faso 3-nil. Niger were just too good for four time African champions, Ghana, with the Black Stars losing at home finishing bottom of Group F with just a mere three points. Gambia emerged 1-nil winners away to Tunisia.
In another match, Morocco trounced neighbours Lesotho 7-nil. Several teams have made a comeback to the continental stage. DR Congo, Angola, and Equitorial Guinea are aiming to make an impact next year, while Uganda and Gabon, are back with ambitions to do well next year.
