2016 African Nations Championship qualification

Teams

A total of 42 CAF member national teams entered the qualifying rounds, split into zones according to their regional affiliations.

Format

In the Northern Zone, teams played each other on a double round-robin basis. The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:

1. Number of points obtained in games between the teams concerned;
2. Goal difference in games between the teams concerned;
3. Goals scored in games between the teams concerned;
4. Away goals scored in games between the teams concerned;
5. If, after applying criteria 1 to 4 to several teams, two teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the two teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 9 apply;
6. Goal difference in all games;
7. Goals scored in all games;
8. Away goals scored in all games;
9. Drawing of lots.

In all other zones, qualification ties were played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still level, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (no extra time would be played).

The top two teams in the Northern Zone and the 13 winners of the first round in all other zones qualified for the final tournament.

Schedule

The draw was held on 5 April 2015, 16:00 UTC+2, at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

The schedule of the qualifying rounds was as follows.

Northern Zone

Note: Libya played their home matches in Morocco and Tunisia due to security concerns.

Preliminary round

Note: Guinea and Sierra Leone played their home matches in Mali and Mauritania respectively due to the Ebola outbreak (Sierra Leone home match brought forward by a week).

Mali won 4–2 on aggregate.

Mauritania won 4–1 on aggregate.

Guinea won 4–2 on aggregate.

Senegal won 4–1 on aggregate.

First round

Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.

Note: Guinea played their home match in Mali due to the Ebola outbreak.

Mali won 3–2 on aggregate.

3–3 on aggregate. Guinea won on away goals.

First round

Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.

Note: Second leg of Ivory Coast v Ghana delayed by a week due to presidential elections.

2–2 on aggregate. Ivory Coast won on away goals.

Nigeria won 2–0 on aggregate.

Niger won 3–1 on aggregate.

First round

Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.

Note: Central African Republic withdrew. Second leg of Congo v Cameroon postponed to 31 October due to civil unrest.

DR Congo won on walkover.

Cameroon won 1–0 on aggregate.

Gabon won 2–1 on aggregate.

Central-East Zone

Preliminary round

Uganda won 4–1 on aggregate.

Burundi won 4–1 on aggregate.

Ethiopia won 2–0 on aggregate.

First round

Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.

Uganda won 4–0 on aggregate.

Ethiopia won 3–2 on aggregate.

Preliminary round

Zimbabwe won 2–0 on aggregate.

1–1 on aggregate. Lesotho won on away goals.

3–3 on aggregate. Zambia won on penalties.

Mozambique won 9–1 on aggregate.

South Africa won 5–0 on aggregate.

Angola won 4–2 on aggregate.

First round

Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.

Zimbabwe won 4–2 on aggregate.

Zambia won 4–1 on aggregate.

Angola won 3–2 on aggregate.

Qualified teams

The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.

Goalscorers