Two southern African countries, South Africa and Zambia, have so far booked their places at the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), scheduled for 13th January to 11 February 2024 in Ivory Coast.
South Africa secured their place in this continental competition last March after a 2-2 draw and a 2-1 victory over Liberia in Group K.
Zambia, playing in Group H, qualified after a crushing 3-0 home win over hosts Ivory Coast on Saturday at the Levy Mwanawasa stadium in the town of Ndola (317 km from Lusaka).
Namibia and Angola, meanwhile, took an important step towards qualification after beating the giants of Cameroon (2-1) and the Fauvists of the Central African Republic (2-1) respectively.
However, four other teams were officially disqualified. Botswana, drawn in Group J, was eliminated after two defeats against Equatorial Guinea and a single win against Libya.
Madagascar’s Baréas were eliminated from the race to qualify for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations after two draws and three defeats in Group E. Lesotho and Eswatini were also disqualified by collecting 1 point each in groups H and B.