- The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA have previously banned the country from playing in the Africa Cup of Nations
- Kenya tops the list after being banned from all FIFA activities in 2022 following a dispute between the government and former FKF president Nick Mwendwa
- The 2025 edition will kick off in Morocco from December 21 to January 18, with the hosts looking for a first title since 1976
Several countries have previously been banned from participating in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Source: Twitter
The 2025 edition kicks off on Sunday, December 21, when hosts Morocco take on Comoros at the recently renovated Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The tournament will have 24 teams, which is a big improvement from the original three teams when it was first held in 1957.
Countries that have previously been banned from participating in AFCON
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) often organizes qualifying tournaments with only the host nation getting a direct chance to participate.
However, not all countries are allowed to participate in qualifying matches, and CAF has, in the past, banned some countries from participating.
1. Morocco – 2017/2019
This year’s hosts, in recent years, have been CAF favorites under current president Patrice Motsepe, but that was not the case in 2015. They were expected to host AFCON at the time, but they abruptly withdrew, citing the Ebola virus outbreak.
Their request to postpone the tournament until 2016 was rejected, and CAF ended up banning them from participating in two AFCON tournaments, as quoted by a CAF press release.
“CAF issued an objection and rejected the request of Morocco, who had to state their position to withdraw from organizing the Orange 2015 Africa Cup of Nations by November 11, 2014. The Executive Committee considered that, contrary to what the Moroccan Football Federation stated, a strong force cannot be accepted for the benefit of the federation.”
2. South Africa
South Africa was banned for over 40 years by FIFA and CAF during the apartheid era.
They missed a total of 18 AFCON tournaments and won the 1996 edition after being reinstated in 1992.
3. Kenya/Zimbabwe – 2023
Harambee Stars of Kenya was banned from participating in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers due to government interference.
FIFA banned the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) after the government sacked Nick Mwendwa from office. Sports Minister Amina Mohammed appointed an interim committee, which was a violation of FIFA rules. The ban was lifted in 2022.
Source: Facebook
Zimbabwe were banned at the same time as Kenya for the same reason, but their ban was lifted in 2023. Since then, the Warriors have qualified for this year’s edition, where they will be in Group B alongside South Africa, Egypt and Angola.
4. Sierra Leone – 2019
In 2019, Sierra Leone was also banned from the AFCON qualifiers due to government interference.
The president and Secretary General of the country’s confederation were removed from office by the Anti-Corruption Commission, forcing FIFA to intervene.
5. Chad – 2021
Chad was excluded from participating in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers after the country’s Sports Ministry banned the confederation from playing their role
“Following the suspension of the Chad Football Federation by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Chad, Caf has decided to withdraw the Chad national team from the 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifiers,” read a statement from CAF.
The cost of AFCON 2025 stadiums in Morocco
In a separate report, Morocco will host AFCON 2025 in nine world-class stadiums in six cities.
The North African giants have increased efforts in their sports infrastructure in recent years.
They are also building a new stadium, which will be the largest in the world for the 2030 World Cup.
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