All looks to be set for the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2019).
Last month, experts declared that the hosts, Egypt ‘will be ready’ when the tournament kicks off in June.
Last weekend, the 24 participating teams were confirmed, including three nations; Burundi, Mauritania and Madagascar, participating for the first time.
In this article, we profile all the teams that have qualified for the continent’s most prestigious football tournament.
Algeria
- Qualifying results: Benin 2-0 home 0-1 away, Gambia 1-1 1-1, Togo 1-0 4-1
- Scorers: Bounedjah 3, Mahrez 2, Abeid, Attal, Bensebaini, Hanni 1 each
- Coach: Djamel Belmadi (ALG)
- Africa/world rankings: 13/69
- Previous appearances: 17
- Best placing: champions (1990)
Angola
- Qualifying: Burkina Faso 2-1 1-3, Botswana 1-0 1-0, Mauritania 4-1 0-1
- Scorers: Mateus 4, Gelson 3, Djalma, Eduardo 1 each
- Coach: Srdjan Vasiljevic (SRB)
- Africa/world rankings: 33/125
- Previous appearances: 7
- Best placing: quarter-finals (2008, 2010)
Burundi
- Qualifying: South Sudan 3-0 5-2, Gabon 1-1 1-1, Mali 1-1 0-0
- Scorers: Abdul Razak 6, Amissi 3, Berahino, Duhayindavyi 1 each
- Coach: Olivier Niyungeko (BDI)
- Africa/world rankings: 38/139
- Previous appearances: none
Benin
- Qualifying: Gambia 1-0 1-3, Togo 2-1 0-0, Algeria 1-0 0-2
- Scorers: Mounie 2, D’Almeida, Djigla, Sessegnon 1 each
- Coach: Michel Dussuyer (FRA)
- Africa/world rankings: 20/94
- Previous appearances: 3
- Best placing: first round
Cameroon
- Qualifying: Morocco 1-0 0-2, Comoros 3-0 1-1, Malawi 1-0 0-0
- Scorers: Choupo-Moting 2, Aboubakar, Bahoken, Bassogog, N’Jie 1 each
- Coach: Clarence Seedorf (NED)
- Africa/world rankings: 7/56
- Previous appearances: 18
- Best placing: champions (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017)
Democratic Republic of Congo
- Qualifying: Congo Brazzaville 3-1 1-1, Liberia 1-0 1-1, Zimbabwe 1-2 1-1
- Scorers: Bakambu 3, Bolasie, Elia, Kasongo, Mbemba 1 each, Hadebe (ZIM)-og
- Coach: Florent Ibenge (COD)
- Africa/world rankings: 5/51
- Previous appearances: 18
- Best placing: champions (1968, 1974)
Egypt
- Qualifying: Tunisia 3-2 0-1, Niger 6-0 1-1, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) 4-1 2-0
- Scorers: Salah 4, Hassan 3, M. Mohsen 2, Ashraf, Hegazy, S. Mohsen, Elneny, A. el * Mohamady, B. el Mohamady, Warda 1 each
- Coach: Javier Aguirre (MEX)
- Africa/world rankings: 8/57
- Previous appearances: 23
- Best placing: champions (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010)
Ghana
- Qualifying: Ethiopia 5-0 2-0, Kenya 1-0 0-1
- Scorers: J. Ayew, Dwamena 2 each, Boye, Ekuban, Gyan, Ofori 1 each
- Coach: James Kwesi Appiah (GHA)
- Africa/world rankings: 6/53
- Previous appearances: 21
- Best placing: champions (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)
Guinea
- Qualifying: Ivory Coast 1-1 3-2, Central African Republic 1-0 0-0, Rwanda 2-0 1-1
- Scorers: Kamano 2, Cisse, Diallo, Kante, Keïta, Soumah, Yattara 1 each
- Coach: Paul Put (BEL)
- Africa/world rankings: 12/68
- Previous appearances: 11
- Best placing: runners-up (1976)
Guinea-Bissau
- Qualifying: Namibia 1-0 0-0, Mozambique 2-2 2-2, Zambia 2-1 1-2
- Scorers: F. Mendy 3, Piqueti 2, Embalo, Gomes, Silva 1 each
- Coach: Baciro Cande (GNB)
- Africa/world rankings: 31/118
- Previous appearances: 1
- Best placing: first round
Ivory Coast
- Qualifying: Guinea 2-3 1-1, Rwanda 3-0 2-1, Central African Republic 4-0 0-0
- Scorers: Bailly, Cornet, Doumbia, Kodjia 2 each, Doukoure, Gradel, Pepe, Seri 1 each
- Coach: Ibrahim Kamara (CIV)
- Africa/world rankings: 11/66
- Previous appearances: 22
- Best placing: champions (1992, 2015)
Kenya
- Qualifying: Ghana 1-0 0-1, Ethiopia 3-0 0-0
- Scorers: Johana, Olunga, Wanyama 1 each, Opoku (GHA)-og
- Coach: Sebastien Migne (FRA)
- Africa/world rankings: 23/106
- Previous appearances: 5
- Best placing: first round
Madagascar
- Qualifying: Sao Tome e Principe 3-2 1-0, Sudan 1-3 3-1, Senegal 2-2 0-2, Equatorial Guinea 1-0 1-0
- Scorers: Andriamatsinoro, Andriatsima, Voavy 3 each, Rakotoharimalala 1, Diogo (STP)-og, Coulibaly (SEN)-og
- Coach: Nicolas Dupuis (FRA)
- Africa/world rankings: 24/107
- Previous appearances: none
Mali
- Qualifying: Gabon 2-1 1-0, South Sudan 3-0 3-0, Burundi 0-0 1-1
- Scorers: S. Coulibaly, Traore 2 each, Bissouma, K. Coulibaly, Djenepo, Doumbia, Fofana, Marega 1 each
- Coach: Mohamed Magassouba (MLI)
- Africa/world rankings: 10/65
- Previous appearances: 10
- Best placing: runners-up (1972)
Mauritania
- Qualifying: Botswana 2-1 1-0, Burkina Faso 2-0 0-1, Angola 1-0 1-4
- Scorers: Diakite 3, Ba, Camara, El Hacen, Soudani 1 each
- Coach: Corentin Martins (FRA)
- Africa/world rankings: 18/84
- Previous appearances: none
Morocco
- Qualifying: Cameroon 2-0 0-1, Malawi 3-0 0-0, Comoros 1-0 2-2
- Scorers: Ziyech 3, En-Nesyri 2, Amrabat, Boutaib, Fajr 1 each
- Coach: Herve Renard (FRA)
- Africa/world rankings: 3/43
- Previous appearances: 16
- Best placing: champions (1976)
Namibia
- Qualifying: Guinea-Bissau 0-0 0-1, Zambia 1-1 1-4, Mozambique 1-0 2-1
- Scorers: Shalulile 2, Hotto, Shilembi, Shilongo 1 each
- Coach: Ricardo Mannetti (NAM)
- Africa/world rankings: 26/110
- Previous appearances: 2
- Best placing: first round
Nigeria
- Qualifying: South Africa 0-2 1-1, Seychelles 3-1 3-0, Libya 4-0 3-2
- Scorers: Ighalo 7, Musa 2, Awaziem, Kalu, Onyekuru, Simon 1 each, Mkhwanazi (RSA)-og
- Coach: Gernot Rohr (GER)
- Africa/world rankings: 4/46
- Previous appearances: 17
- Best placing: champions (1980, 1994, 2013)
Senegal
- Qualifying: Equatorial Guinea 3-0 1-0, Madagascar 2-0 2-2, Sudan 3-0 1-0
- Scorers: Niang 3, Gueye, Sow 2 each, Cisse, Keita, Konate, Sarr 1 each, Meseguer (GEQ)-og
- Coach: Aliou Cisse (SEN)
- Africa/world rankings: 1/24
- Previous appearances: 14
- Best placing: runners-up (2002)
South Africa
- Qualifying: Nigeria 1-1 2-0, Libya 0-0 2-1, Seychelles 6-0 0-0
- Scorers: Tau 4, Mothiba 2, Hlatshwayo, Mokoena, Ndlovu, Rantie 1 each, Hoareau (SEY)-og
- Coach: Stuart Baxter (ENG)
- Africa/world rankings: 14/74
- Previous appearances: 9
- Best placing: champions (1996)
Tanzania
- Qualifying: Lesotho 1-1 0-1, Uganda 3-0 0-0, Cape Verde 2-0 0-3
- Scorers: Msuva, Samatta 2 each, Morris, Nyoni 1 each
- Coach: Emmanuel Amunike (NGR)
- Africa/world rankings: 37/137
- Previous appearances: 1
- Best placing: first round
Tunisia
- Qualifying: Egypt 1-0 2-3, eSwatini 4-0 2-0, Niger 1-0 2-1
- Scorers: Sliti 4, Chaouat, Khenissi, Meriah 2 each, Badri, S. Ben Youssef 1 each
- Coach: Alain Giresse (FRA)
- Africa/world rankings: 2/28
- Previous appearances: 18
- Best placing: champions (2004)
Uganda
- Qualifying: Cape Verde 1-0 1-0, Tanzania 0-0 0-3, Lesotho 3-0 2-0
- Scorers: Miya 3, Okwi 2, Kaddu, Sserunkuma 1 each
- Coach: Sebastien Desabre (FRA)
- Africa/world rankings: 16/77
- Previous appearances: 6
- Best placing: runners-up (1978)
Zimbabwe
- Qualifying: Liberia 3-0 0-1, Congo Brazzaville 2-0 1-1, Democratic Republic of Congo 1-1 2-1
- Scorers: Musona 5, Billiat 3, Pfumbidzai 1
- Coach: Sunday Chidzambwa (ZIM)
- Africa/world rankings: 28/113
- Previous appearances: 3
- Best placing: first round
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