12 days to the 31st edition of the African Cup of Nations in Gabon, we take a look at teams that have never graced the biggest continental football stage.
Of the 56 members of CAF, 41 (73%) have lived the patriotic moment of listening to their national anthems played at AFCON, while 15 (27%) have never known the joy and pride that tag such occasion.
Top on the list of non-qualifiers is the youngest member of CAF South Sudan, who have only participated in two qualifying campaigns, since admission to the continental body in 2012.
Also in the roll are Somalia, Chad, Eritrea, Burundi, and Central African Republic. These are countries that have long suffered political instability, and civil wars – affecting the general growth of the game.
CAR came close in the Gabon campaign – finishing second behind DR Congo, whom they needed to beat in the ultimate group “B” fixture to secure the dream in September 2016.
Guinea Bissau made the cut this round – ditching the list of minnows, and will be among the 16 teams in Gabon.
The Full List Non-qualifiers:
Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gambia, Lesotho, Mauritania, Madagascar, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Swaziland.
