Fifteen 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches are scheduled for Tuesday as the second round of games concludes across the continent.South Sudan vs. South AfricaSouth Sudan and South Africa will battle for three crucial points in Group K of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Juba Stadium.Neither team secured a victory in their respective opening encounters, and both will be eager to return to winning ways.Bafana Bafana managed to snatch a hard-fought point from the jaws of defeat in their clash against Uganda at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday evening, which ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.It is match day in Juba, South Sudan……… #BafanaPride #AFCONQualifier pic.twitter.com/PycfBLjag0— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) September 10, 2024 Hugo Broos’s men have been tipped by many to finish top of their qualifying group, but their performance against Uganda fell short of expectations for the one-time African champions.They are, however, unbeaten in nine games across all competitions since February’s AFCON semi-final defeat to eventual runners-up Nigeria.On the other hand, the Bright Stars remain without a victory in five matches since the start of the year and have won only one of their last 12 matches across all competitions.More worryingly for South Sudan, they have struggled at both ends of the pitch during this period, scoring just six goals while conceding a staggering 30.The match kicks off at 4:00 PM.##NAJAVA_MECA_8324939##Guinea vs. TanzaniaAnother CECAFA representative, Tanzania, will be in the west as they seek to round off the September international break with a win when they take on Guinea at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium.Guinea began their quest for a ticket to Morocco with a defeat to Congo DR, while the Taifa Stars could only manage a draw in their opening encounter.2025 AFCON: Real’s midfielder scores a winner in injury timeConsequently, the National Elephants have now suffered consecutive defeats without scoring after winning three games in a row by a combined score of 13-2 between March and June.Having featured in eight of the last 11 AFCON tournaments, Guinea has established itself as a regular at this level, but a second consecutive qualifying defeat could leave them with a mountain to climb in their bid to reach next year’s event.Tanzania will be hoping to replicate their good form from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers as they seek to qualify for the continental showpiece for the third time in history.##NAJAVA_MECA_8324926##Zimbabwe vs. CameroonAt the Mandela National Stadium in Uganda, Zimbabwe faces Cameroon in a match that Kenyans will be following closely, hoping both teams drop points, allowing Kenya to emerge on top against Namibia.Zimbabwe managed only one point from their opening qualifying fixture against Kenya, while Cameroon heads to Kampala on a high, having beaten Namibia in their most recent encounter.Despite nine previous editions of this fixture, Tuesday’s meeting marks the first AFCON qualifying matchup between these sides.Kenyan coach bags first title in South SudanHowever, they met in the tournament proper 20 years ago when Zimbabwe fell to a 5-3 defeat in the group stages.With off-field issues showing no signs of resolution anytime soon, Cameroon must stay focused on the pitch as they aim to qualify for a sixth straight AFCON tournament after consecutive absences in 2012 and 2013.##NAJAVA_MECA_8324942##In other matches, Gabon will entertain the Central African Republic, Botswana will play host to Egypt, Cape Verde will welcome Mauritania, Nigeria will visit Rwanda, Benin will face Libya, Liberia will be at home against Algeria, Chad will take on Ivory Coast, while Sierra Leone will be away to Zambia.Eswatini will clash with Mali, Mozambique will face Guinea-Bissau, and Burkina Faso will close the day against Malawi.
