The AFCON excitement will continue next week, picking up where it left off.
By the end of the fourth week, the teams that will advance to the next round will be clear in some groups, while the competition is still ongoing in others.
One of the groups where the competition is still ongoing is Group A. Mathematically, all teams can still advance, but Madagascar, with a lower chance compared to the others, will face Tunisia in week 5. In another match in the group,
Comoros and Gambia, both with a high chance of advancing, will meet. If one of these two teams manages to win, the group will almost be completely decided.
In Group B, Morocco will guarantee its leadership if they manage to secure a point against Gabon. Morocco has already secured its place in the next round, and if Gabon gets a point from the match, they will almost guarantee their qualification.
The Central African Republic, however, will want to stay in the race for qualification by winning against Lesotho.
In Group C, Egypt has already secured the leadership after their match against Cape Verde. However, after the upcoming matches, Mauritania, Botswana, and Cape Verde could still secure second place, and the situation is still uncertain.
In the highly eventful Group D, Nigeria wants to guarantee its leadership by defeating Benin. Libya, unless a miracle happens, seems to be eliminated, but they still want to try their luck one last time against Rwanda.
In Group E, Algeria and Equatorial Guinea, who have a significant lead over the other teams, will face off. Although Togo and Liberia have a slim chance, they could revive their hopes if Equatorial Guinea is defeated.
In Group F, Angola, which made a surprising entry and has maintained its consistency, will face Ghana, which has fallen short of expectations. Regardless of the result, Ghana will be eliminated if Sudan earns any points.
In Group G, Ivory Coast will aim to defeat Zambia, which is in second place, and an eventual Sierra Leone victory would cause great upheaval in the group.
In Group H, the only team with a confirmed ranking is the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the leader. No other team’s position is yet clear. Tanzania will take a huge step towards qualification if they manage to beat Ethiopia.
Group I is still quite complicated. Mozambique and Mali will battle for the top spot, while Guinea-Bissau will hope for a last chance by defeating Eswatini.
In Group J, Kenyan fans are hoping for a win against Zimbabwe. If they don’t win, they will likely join Namibia at the bottom and be eliminated. Cameroon, however, will likely finish first in the group if they defeat Namibia.
In Group K, there will be a leadership battle between South Africa and Uganda. The Republic of Congo will hope to secure a victory against the already-eliminated South Sudan and rely on their opponents to drop points.
In Group L, Burkina Faso and Senegal, who have already qualified, will face each other for the top spot. Burundi and Malawi have already been eliminated from the tournament.
The teams’ rosters have been finalized, and the AFCON excitement continues. By the end of week 5, many rankings will likely be decided.
