AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 1998 - The Qualification

AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 1998 - The Qualification

 List of participating nations

 List of the associations that don't participate

 Preliminary Knock-Out Round

 The seven qualification groups

Qualification:

The qualification consists of a preliminary knock-out round involving the lowest-seeded nations to reduce the field to seven groups, each with four teams participating. This system was found to solve the problem of the high number of pull-outs during the qualification periods of the recent past (Similarly the world cup qualification for 1998 was organized).

List of the participating associations

 Angola

 Botswana

 Benin (in despite of last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Burkina Faso (hosts, automatically qualified)

 Burundi

 Cameroon

 CAR (in despite of last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Congo

 Cote d'Ivoire

 Egypt

 Ethiopia

 Gabon

 Ghana

 Guinea

 Kenya

 Liberia

 Malawi

 Mali

 Mauretania

 Mauritius

 Morocco

 Mozambique

 Namibia

 Senegal

 Seychelles (in despite of last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Sierra Leone

 South Africa (champions '96, automatically qualified)

 Sudan

 Tanzania

 Togo

 Tunisia

 Uganda (late entry)

 Zaire

 Zambia

 Zimbabwe

List of the associations not participating

 Chad (probably lack of money)

 Comoros (probably lack of money)

 Equatorial Guinea (last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Gambia (last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Guinea-Bissau (last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Lesotho (disqualified in last Nations Cup)

 Lybia (UN sanctions(?))

 Madagascar (last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Niger (last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Nigeria (banned because of the withdrawal from 1996 finals)

 Reunion (not allowed yet to take part)

 Rwanda (last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Somalia (probably lack of money)

 Swasiland (last Nations Cup withdrawal)

 Zanzibar (probably lack of money)

Preliminary Knock Out Round

 23rd/24th/25th)

• Mauritius vs. Seychelles 1-0 / 1-1

 

• Congo vs. Togo

0-0 / 0-1

• Botswana vs. Namibia 0-0 / 0-6

 

• Benin vs. Mauritania 4-1 / 0-0

 

• CAR vs. Burundi not played, CAR advances

 

• Uganda vs. Ethiopia 1-1 / 1-1, 2-4 (p.)

 

The seven qualification groups:

 Group 1
 

Ghana
Angola
Zimbabwe
Sudan *forfeit in January because of political unrest

Results:
(Sudan - Zimbabwe 0-3) *not taken into account because Sudan pulled out of contest
Ghana - Angola 2-1
Zimbabwe - Ghana 0-0
Zimbabwe - Angola 1-0
Angola - Ghana 1-0
Ghana - Zimbabwe 2-1
Angola - Zimbabwe 1-1

Angola and Ghana qual.
 

Group 2
 

Algeria
Cote d'Ivoire
Mali
Benin

Results:
Benin - Mali 1-2
Algeria - Cote d'Ivoire 4-1
Cote d'Ivoire - Benin 1-0
Mali - Algeria 1-0
Benin-Algeria 1-1
Mali - Cote d'ivoire 1-2
Cote d'Ivoire - Algeria 2-1
Mali - Benin 3-1
Algeria - Mali 1-0
Benin - Cote d'Ivoire 0-0
Algeria - Benin 2-0
Cote d'Ivoire - Mali 4-2
 
Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire qual.
 

Group 3

Egypt
Morocco
Senegal
Ethiopia

 Results:
Ethiopia - Senegal 1-2
Egypt - Morocco 1-1
Senegal - Egypt 0-0
Morocco - Ethiopia *postponed because 16 Ethiopian players defected on the flight to the match in Rome
Senegal - Morocco 0-0
Ethiopia - Egypt 1-1
Morocco - Ethiopia 4-0
Morocco - Egypt 1-0
Senegal - Ethiopia 3-0
Ethiopia - Morocco 0-1
Egypt - Senegal 2-0
Egypt - Ethiopia 8-1
Morocco - Senegal 3-0

Morocco, Egypt qual.

Group 4

Tunisia
Sierra Leone *forfeit in June
Guinea
CAR *forfeit in January because of political unrest at home

 Results:
(Tunisia - Sierra Leone 2-0 *not taken into acc. because of later forefeit of S.L.)
(CAR - Guinea 2-3 *not taken into account because of forfeit of CAR)
Guinea - Tunisia 1-0
(Guinea - Sierra Leone 1-0)
Tunisia -Guinea 1-0

both qual.

Group 5

 
Gabon
Cameroon
Kenya
Namibia

Results:
Gabon - Cameroon 0-0
Namibia - Kenya 1-0
Cameroon - Namibia 4-0
Kenya - Gabon 1-0
Kenya - Cameroon 0-0
Namibia - Gabon 1-1
Kenya - Namibia 0-1
Cameroon - Gabon 2-2
Namibia - Cameroon 0-1
Gabon - Kenya 1-0
Cameroon - Kenya  1-1
Gabon - Namibia  1-1

Qual.: Cameroon and surprisers from uprising Namibia (only 1.4 million Namibians! country, that suffered a long time under isolation as consequence from colonial status, South African involvement and Apartheid, had the first international match 1990!) qual.
 

Group 6

Zaire/DR Congo
Liberia
Tanzania
Togo

Results :
Togo - Tanzania 2-1
Zaire - Liberia 0-0
Liberia - Togo 1-2
Tanzania - Zaire 1-2
Togo - Zaire 1-1
Tanzania - Liberia 1-1
** - Zaire becomes DR congo -
Tanzania - Togo 1-0
Liberia - DR Congo 2-1
Congo DR - Tanzania 1-1
Togo - Liberia 4-0
Congo DR -Togo 1-0
Liberia - Tanzania 1-0

Congo DR and Togo qual.
 

Group 7

Zambia
Mozambique
Malawi
Mauritius

 Results:
Mauritius - Malawi 1-2
Zambia - Mozambique 1-0
Malawi - Zambia 0-2
Mozambique - Mauritius 3-0
Malawi - Mozambique 2-0
Mauritius - Zambia 0-0
Malawi - Mauritius 3-2
Mozambique - Zambia 2-2
Mauritius - Mozambique 1-3
Zambia - Malawi 3-1
Mozambique - Malawi 2-1
Zambia - Mauritius 1-0

In the final six minutes of the match Mozambique scored twice and so qualified alongside with Zambia
 

(Matches will were played 1996/1997. 1996: October 4/5/6; 1997: January 24/25/26, February 22/23/24, June 20/21/22, July 12/13/14, July 26/27/28)