Following the last round of the Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 preliminary stage qualifiers this week, six countries have confirmed their places in the Group Stage of the biennial tournament, bringing the total number of teams to 48 including Kenya and Zimbabwe who have both been indefinitely suspended by FIFA.The countries that booked their spot in the Group phase from the Preliminaries include Botswana, South Sudan, Lesotho, Eswatini, Sao Tome and Gambia. The six qualified countries joined the 42 countries exempt from the preliminaries.4️⃣8️⃣ 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒. 2️⃣3️⃣ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐒 🌍 Who will make it to the #TotalEnergiesAFCON 2023? 🤔 #TotalEnergiesAFCONQ2023 pic.twitter.com/6NZqYHeVG1— CAF (@CAF_Online) March 30, 2022 46 nations (depending on whether Kenya and Zimbabwe will still be out) will participate in the group stage, which kicks off next June. The teams will be split into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each pool qualifying for the final tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.Facts on the six qualified teams:BotswanaBotswana was automatically qualified due to the withdrawal of Eritrea.They are no stranger to the AFCON: They played the 2012 Gabon/Equatorial Guinea edition and are aiming for a second appearance in the AFCON finals.Sao TomeThe Santomeans qualified at the expense of Mauritius with a 4-3 aggregate victory. A 1-0 home win and a 3-3 away draw was enough for Sao Tome.Sao Tome aims to participate in the CAN for the first time. The team ranked 50th in Africa hopes to mark its history this time.𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ✅🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe progress to the #TotalEnergiesAFCONQ2023 group stage 👏There’s a first time for everything, will it be so in 2023? 🤔#TotalEnergiesAFCON pic.twitter.com/epRnvsDtSE— CAF (@CAF_Online) March 27, 2022 South SudanRanked 47th in Africa, South Sudan has never qualified for the final phase of the tournament. They hope to be able to play the next CAN. In the preliminary round, the South Sudanese outscored Djibouti 5-2 on aggregate thanks to a 4-2 win away and a 1-0 victory at home.LesothoLesotho has never qualified for the AFCON. The country has always been eliminated in the preliminary round and intends to change the situation. Ranked 44th in Africa according to the latest FIFA rankings, Lesotho beat Seychelles 3-1 at home after a goalless draw to go.EswatiniEswatini are looking for a first AFCON finals appearance. Since 2000, Eswatini have participated in all the preliminary rounds without managing to reach the group stage of the qualifiers. It was therefore a first for the Swazis who beat Somalia 5-1 on aggregate, after 3-0 and 2-1 victories.GambiaThe Gambia played their first AFCON finals this year in Cameroon. On their debuts, the Gambians reached the quarter-finals of the prestigious tournament. They hope their fairy tale will continue with a second appearance in a row. Against Chad, they recorded a 1-0 away win before a 2-2 draw at home.Additional Reporting by CAF.
