At least two countries have qualified for the AFCON 2027 group stage qualifiers following their victories in the preliminary round.
This comes following the conclusion of Sunday’s second-leg preliminary round fixtures.
Lesotho defeated Seychelles 2-1 to advance to the next stage after playing a 0-0 draw in the first leg a few days ago.
Seychelles took an early lead through Brandon Labrosse, but Lesotho responded with goals from Lebohang Lesako and a late winner from Motebang Sera.
Similarly, South Sudan also qualified despite a shock 1-0 loss at home to Djibouti in an empty Juba stadium on Sunday.
South Sudan had won 4-0 against Djibouti in the first leg as they progressed to the next stage on a 4-1 aggregate victory.
Meanwhile, the remaining four second-leg fixtures of the preliminary round will take place on Tuesday.
Eritrea will defend a 2-0 lead in Eswatini, while hosts Mauritius and Somalia are deadlocked after a goalless first tie.
Burundi will tackle Chad, having won 4-0 in the first leg, while Ethiopia will clash with Sao Tome and Principe after winning 3-0 from the first leg played in El Jadida, Morocco.
The teams that emerged victorious will join the highest-ranked nations in the 2027 AFCON group stage qualifiers.
The 2027 AFCON will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The three nations are automatically qualified as hosts.
AFCON 2027: Two countries qualify for group stage qualifiers after preliminary round