AFCON2023Q: South Sudan, Eswatini, Sao Tome and Principe and Lesotho through to group stage

South Sudan, Eswatini, Sao Tome and Principe, and Lesotho have booked their slots in the 2023 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers group stages after emerging victorious overall in their respective fixtures, joining Botswana who sailed through following the withdrawal of Eritrea.

Eswatini saw off Somalia 2-1 to win 5-1 on aggregate while South Sudan beat Djibouti by a solitary goal making it 5-2 on aggregate as Mauritius and Sao Tome and Principle played to a three-all draw to see the latter win 4-3 overall, with Lesotho winning 3-1 on aggregate having played to a barren draw in the first encounter.

None of the hosts in the three matches enjoyed home advantage, Mauritius hosting Sao Tome and Principe in Ivory Coast, Eswatini welcoming Somalia in South Africa, as South Sudan opted for Uganda as their home ground against Djibouti with no CAF approved stadiums in their respective countries.

The three teams had taken leads in the first leg of the encounters, Sao Tome and Principe coming into the return leg with a 1-0 advantage as Eswatini enjoyed a big 3-0 win in the other fixture while South Sudan had taken a 4-2 advantage.

Former Gor Mahia forward Tito Okello hit a brace in the first leg encounter for South Sudan but could not find the back of the net in the return leg, with Peter Chol getting the job done 10 minutes into the second half with the only goal for the match.

The winner on aggregate in the other match between Gambia and Chad set for Tuesday will make take the sixth slot to join the other African teams in the group stages.