Why are Ghana not in AFCON 2025? The biggest teams that failed to qualify

Ghana endured a disappointing qualification campaign for AFCON 2025, finishing bottom of Group F with a shocking three points from six matches, recording zero victories in the process.

Ghana's hopes were mathematically crushed on Matchday 5 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Angola in Luanda.

Despite taking an early lead through a Jordan Ayew free-kick, Angola equalized late, a result that eliminated the Black Stars. This marks the first time Ghana has missed the tournament since the 2004 edition in Tunisia, ending two decades of continuous participation.

Their group was topped by Angola, who qualified comfortably, with Sudan securing the runners-up spot.

The four-time AFCON winners have been involved in each of the most recent 10 versions of the continental tournament but exited at the group stage in 2021 and 2023.

Otto Addo's men were runners-up in the tournament in 2015 and reached the semi-finals two years later, but have failed to advance past the round of 16 in the three tournaments since.

Notable Ghanaian superstars to miss AFCON 2025 include Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo, Leicester City's Jordan Ayew, Tottenham's Muhammed Kudus, and Villarreal's Thomas Partey.

• Morocco (Host Nation) 

• Angola 

• Sudan 

• Egypt 

• Botswana 

• Algeria 

• Equatorial Guinea 

• Senegal 

• Comoros 

• Nigeria 

• Benin 

• Cameroon 

• Zimbabwe 

• Mali 

• Mozambique 

• DR Congo 

• Uganda 

• Burkina Faso 

• Mauritania 

• Côte d'Ivoire 

• Zambia 

• Tunisia 

• Tanzania 

• South Africa 

While Ghana is the most decorated team to miss out on qualification, they are not alone. AFCON 2025 will miss several nations that featured in the last edition:

Ghana: Four-time winners with stars like Mohammed Kudus and Thomas Partey; bottom of Group F means their first miss in two decades. 

Guinea: 1978 runners-up, packed with Premier League talent like Serhou Guirassy; they came third in their group after a string of draws and defeats.

Cape Verde: Reached the 2023 round of 16 with flair; edged out on goal difference in a tight Group C battle.

Gambia: Shocked everyone with a 2021 quarterfinal run; couldn't keep up, finishing third despite players like Yankuba Minteh shining in Europe.

Guinea-Bissau: Made 2017 quarters as underdogs; lost out in the final matchday to Mozambique in a dramatic 2-1 defeat.