2021 AFCON : The 24 Qualified Nations

(www.crtv.cm)

Some days to the Draw Ceremony of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations to be organised in Cameroon, Crtvweb presents the 24 qualified countries to be heading to Cameroon in January 2022 for the biggest football meeting point in Africa dubbed AFCON.

The last country to book a qualification ticket and join the twenty-three others in the journey for the coveted trophy was Sierra Leone. She overpowered Benin 1-0 in a delayed day-6 qualifier match of the AFCON.

Now, twenty four nations have sailed through to the continental football jamboree without the Bafana Bafana of South Africa after she lost the bet to Sudan in a 1-0 qualifier game

The Leone Stars returned to the continent’s flagship competition for the first time since their second participation in South Africa 1996.

For over eighteen months, a total of 72 matches were fielded across Africa with 321 goals recorded during the hustle and bustle for qualifications of the 2021 AFCON

Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Ethiopia confirmed their places at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon, following the final round of qualification matches on Tuesday.

Comoros Island and Gambia will be in Cameroon in their first and historic participation in the biggest football event in Africa dubbed AFCON.

Chad initially lodged in Group A could have continued their AFCON if not for their suspension by CAF due to government interference in football affairs in Chad.

Malawi beat the Cranes of Uganda 1-0 to sail through to the Central African nation of Cameroon. Uganda just needed a draw but unfortunately the Malawian goal at the 15th minute of play shattered their dreams of qualification.

Here are the 24 qualified teams

# Cameroon (Hosts), counts a total of 20 participations, five time champions and lastly participated at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt

# Algeria (Defending Champions), 19 participations and two-times AFCON champions

# Senegal is 16-time participant but unfortunately still to be crowned winners. The Senegalese team was present at the 2019 expedition

# Mali has participated at the AFCON for 12 times and the last expedition was in 2019.

# Tunisia has one championship title in 20 appearances

# Burkina Faso, 12 times at the AFCON and last appearance in 2017.

# Guinea, 13 participants, lastly participated at the 2019 AFCON.# Comoros counts just a single appearance in the African flagship football tournament

# Gambia is newcomer at the AFCON

# Egypt is the top winner with seven tittles, 25 appearances and host of the 2019 tournament.

# Gabon, host of the 2017 AFCON and 8th time participant

# Zimbabwe, was at the 2019 expedition, she counts 5 participations

# Equatorial Guinea lastly played in 2015, she is coming this time for the 3rd participation

# Ghana is four times champion of African football in 23 outings at the AFCON

# Morocco has been participating for 18 times and grabbed the trophy just once

# Cote d’Ivoire unfortunately has just two titles out of 24 participations

# Nigeria, the Super Eagles are entitled to three trophies in 19 appearances here

# Sudan shockingly edged South Africa to sail through for the 9th time. She is a one time title holder of the AFCON

# Malawi’s presence in Egypt in 2019 marked her 3 participations

# Mauritania has been at the AFCON for 18 times and count is one time winner of the continental football jamboree

# Ethiopia was at the 2015 expedition will be participating now for the 11th time

# Guinea Bissau, three times at the AFCON

# Sierra Leone is on her second trip at the AFCON after 26 years of absence

# Cape Verde, the former Portuguese colony is participating for the 3rd time in the history of the AFCON

Benly Anchunda