Football
Nick Said, Special to ESPN 5y

Group-by-group permutations for remaining AFCON qualifiers

The October Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are a thing of the past, with the double-headers having seen major shifts in some groups.

Four sides have already sealed their places in next year's finals in Cameroon, and another bunch can join them in the next round of fixtures in November.

KweséESPN looks at the permutations in each pool and who the likely qualifiers will be.

GROUP A
West African powerhouse Senegal and Madagascar have already sealed the top two places in this pool with two rounds of matches to go. For the Malagasy it will be a first ever trip to the Nations Cup finals after 46 years of trying. Equatorial Guinea and Sudan are the sides who miss out.
KweséESPN prediction: Senegal and Madagascar have already qualified.

GROUP B
This pool has plenty of permutations remaining and could yet be decided by who ends up hosting the Nations Cup finals. Current hosts Cameroon have been allowed to enter the qualifiers so that they get vital game-time and currently head the pool with eight points. Only one other of Morocco (seven points), Malawi (four) and Comoros (two) will join them, though if the Confederation of African Football (CAF) strips Cameroon of the hosting rights and hands them to Morocco, the outlook could change. The two countries meet in the next round of qualifiers in November, before Morocco head to Malawi in March and Cameroon host plucky Comoros. Morocco have looked unconvincing since the World Cup, but it is hard to see them coming unstuck against tricky, but outgunned, opponents.
KweséESPN prediction: Cameroon and Morocco

GROUP C
This pool has essentially become a three-way fight between Mali (eight points), Gabon (seven) and Burundi (six), with South Sudan pointless after four games. Mali must still host South Sudan, so should finish on a minimum of 11 points, with perhaps the key fixture in the remainder of the group coming up next month when they travel to Gabon. Burundi travel to South Sudan and then finish off in March with a home clash against Gabon in what is likely to be a straight shoot-out between the two. Burundi are strong at home and still unbeaten in the pool, and so are possibly favourites to upset Gabon, who could again be without star man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who missed Tuesday's clash in South Sudan after being critical of the plane laid on by his country's federation for the trip.
KweséESPN prediction: Mali and Burundi

GROUP D
Another pool that is essentially down to a three-way split, and the key fixture is coming up in November when Togo host Algeria. Algeria and Benin head the pool with seven points each, while Togo are two behind on five and Gambia in with a mathematical chance only on two. If stuttering Algeria can get a point in Togo and then beat Gambia at home in March, they will be safe in the top two. Togo likely need two wins and must travel to Benin on the final day, which will be no easy feat, while the latter face a difficult but winnable away day in Gambia next month.
KweséESPN prediction: Algeria and Benin

GROUP E
South Africa blew a chance to take charge of this pool when they were held to a 0-0 draw by lowly Seychelles on Tuesday, just three days after they had hammered the same opposition 6-0 in Soweto. But they are still in a strong position with their destiny very much in their own hands as they trail Nigeria (nine) by a single point, and are four ahead of Libya with two games to play. Victory over Nigeria in their next qualifier in November will seal qualification, but if they lose that game they will need a point away at Libya in March, which would be a nervy occasion. We will have to assume that the Libyans will win in the Seychelles next month, but they will also have to beat Bafana Bafana to qualify. Nigeria are essentially home and dry as even if they lose to South Africa next month, have a home game against Seychelles in March and it seems inconceivable they will not win that fixture.
KweséESPN prediction: Nigeria and South Africa

GROUP F
This pool is still very much up in the air as we wait for a CAF decision on the fate of Sierra Leone, who have been suspended by FIFA for government interference in their football. In that instance, the table would read Kenya (seven points from three games), Ghana (three points from two games) and Ethiopia (one point from three games), which would leave the Kenyans having already secured their spot in the finals for the first time since 2004 if Ethiopia don't beat Ghana in their fixture next month.
KweséESPN prediction: Kenya and Ghana

GROUP G
An intriguing pool with all four teams still very much in the running, but Zimbabwe are in the driving seat as they lead with eight points, followed by DR Congo (five), and Congo-Brazzaville and Liberia with four each. Zimbabwe travel to Liberia in November and then host Congo-Brazzaville in March, and you would think they would get the draw they need to qualify from one of those games. DR Congo visit their Brazzaville neighbours next month and then host Liberia, and they too would expect to get the necessary points from those fixtures.
KweséESPN prediction: Zimbabwe and DR Congo

GROUP H
Guinea have all but secured qualification and need just a point from a home game against Ivory Coast and an away clash at Central African Republic. The latter would also need to win in Rwanda to have a chance of toppling Guinea. Ivory Coast hold the head-to-head edge over CAR, so the latter would need to get more points than The Elephants to overcome them on the table and they currently trail by three. Rwanda are more or less out of the running unless an extraordinary set of results go their way.
KweséESPN prediction: Guinea and Ivory Coast

GROUP I
Another group reduced to a three-way contest, which is headed by unlikely leaders Mauritania, who have nine points from their four games. Second are Burkina Faso (seven) and Angola (six) are in third, with Botswana trailing a distance fourth (one). Mauritania host Botswana in their next fixture and will likely seal their qualification for what would be a first continental finals for the West Africans. It means the key fixture will be the clash between Angola and Burkina Faso in November, with both likely to win their final fixtures. The Burkinabe will be looking for a draw. KweséESPN prediction: Mauritania and Burkina Faso GROUP J Tunisia and Egypt have already sealed their places in the finals with two rounds to spare as Swaziland and Niger miss out.
KweséESPN prediction: Tunisia and Egypt have already qualified

GROUP K
All is still up for grabs in this pool, with Guinea-Bissau and Namibia on seven points, and Mozambique and Zambia behind them on four points. Zambia would be a good bet to win their final two games, away at Mozambique and home to Namibia, while Guinea-Bissau should get the win they need at home to Mozambique in their final fixture. A point at Namibia in November would also help.
KweséESPN prediction: Guinea-Bissau and Zambia

GROUP L
Uganda need just a point from their final two games, at home to Cape Verde and away in Tanzania, to seal their qualification as they head the pool with 10 points. They are followed by Tanzania (five), Cape Verde (four) and Lesotho (two), so it is still all to play for among those sides. Plucky Lesotho might fancy their chances to finish above Tanzania if they beat the East Africans at home, especially with a tough final fixture against Uganda to come for the latter. So it really comes down to what Cape Verde do with their fixtures away in Uganda and home to Lesotho, and certainly they have enough to get at least a home win.
KweséESPN prediction: Uganda and Cape Verde

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