Reigning champion Nigeria crash out as Africa Cup of Nations qualifying comes to a close

The final round of qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations threw up a few surprises, the most notable of which being holders Nigeria bowing out.

The results of Wednesday evening also presented some potential logistical issues, as Guinea progressed to the finals next January, highlighting the problems that Ebola fears may cloud the event.

The ruling African football body, CAF, last week removed Morocco as host, handing hosting duties to 2012 co-host Equatorial Guinea.

The North African country had voiced concerns over the spread of the deadly disease in a number of West African countries and requested a postponement. As a further consequence, its team has been expelled from the competition,

The controversy had threatened to overwhelm the final round of games, played out this week, but by the end of Wednesday the 16 teams who will travel to the finals were known.

Elephants ease into Finals

Ivory Coast qualified behind Group D winner Cameroon after a goalless draw between the two teams. The result was enough to fend off a late challenge from DR Congo after its 3-1 victory over Sierra Leone in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa.

DR Congo’s result, however, helped the team garner an impressive total of nine points, which saw the Leopards progress as the best-performing third place team from the seven groups, narrowly beating the reigning champions Nigeria to the remaining qualifying spot.

Super Eagles crash out

Nigeria has been a regular fixture in the finals of the competition since its early days, but will be a notable absentee in Equatorial Guinea, mirroring 2010 holders Egypt in failing to qualify for the following edition of the tournament in 2012.

The Super Eagles were held 2-2 by South Africa in Uyo, giving second-place in Group A to Congo, as the team recorded a 1-0 victory over Sudan in Khartoum.

The South Africans topped Group A with 12 points from their qualifying campaign.

Niger and Mozambique played out a dead rubber with a 1-1 draw, with fellow Group F teams Cape Verde and Zambia already having qualified before kick-off on Wednesday.

Burkina Faso’s draw with Angola was also largely academic, the west African nation having already joined Gabon in qualifying from Group C.

Keita magic

Meanwhile, Mali booked their spot for the seventh consecutive time with a standout performance from captain Seydou Keita. The Roma midfielder opened the scoring with a well-taken penalty. Mali finished runners-up in Group B behind Algeria.

A poor showing in Tunisia by Egypt saw the 2010 champions lose 2-1, and miss out on a place at the finals.

Ghana’s Black Stars ensured they progressed from Group F with a routine 3-1 win over neighbors Togo. They will be joined in the finals by Guinea, after a 2-0 victory over Uganda in the Moroccan city of Casablanca – Ebola fears in the West African country ruling out home matches for the time being.

The Ebola crisis threatens to loom large over the tournament. Host country of the finals, Equatorial Guinea, was disqualified earlier in the qualifying tournament for fielding an ineligible player, but were later reinstated.

The final 16

South Africa

Congo

Algeria

Mali

Gabon

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Ivory Coast

Ghana

Guinea

Cape Verde

Zambia

Tunisia

Senegal

DR Congo (best third-place team)

Equatorial Guinea (automatically qualify as hosts)