The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the biggest football competition on the continent, and the qualifying campaign offers national teams an opportunity to secure their places at the tournament.
Over the years, AFCON qualifying matches have produced several memorable moments, from shock defeats and dramatic comebacks to convincing victories that have shown the gulf in quality between some sides. While most qualifying fixtures are closely contested, a few games have witnessed very big scorelines, with teams recording huge victories and setting remarkable records in the competition’s history.
This article looks at the five biggest winning margins in AFCON qualifying history.
Sao Tome and Principe 0-10 Nigeria (June 2022)
The Super Eagles’ emphatic 10-0 win over Sao Tome and Principe on June 13, 2022 in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier represents the biggest win margin in the history of the competition. That result also set a new record as Nigeria’s largest-ever win in an international game, breaking a 63-year record after the 10-1 win over Dahomey in 1959.
Victor Osimhen led the frontline in that clash with four goals, while Terem Moffi (2), Moses Simon, Oghenekaro Etebo, Ademola Lookman and Emmanuel Dennis completed the scoring to seal the historic win.
Tunisia 8-1 Djibouti (June 2015)
2004 AFCON champions Tunisia recorded a stunning 8-1 win over Djibouti in June 2015, standing as the joint-second highest win in AFCON qualifying history, in a qualifying match for the 2017 AFCON qualifying tournament.
Yassine Chikhaoui led the front with a superb treble, while the likes of Ferjani Sassi, Saber Khalifa, Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, Maher Hannachi and Yoann Touzghar also got on the scoresheet in the very dominant victory.
Seychelles 1-8 Libya (November 2018)
North African side Libya comes third on this list following their emphatic 8-1 win over Seychelles in November 2018 in a qualifying game for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Despite that big result, the Mediterranean Knights failed to qualify for the AFCON tournament in Egypt after finishing third in their group, behind Nigeria and South Africa.
Senegal 7-0 Mauritius (October 2010)
Former African champions Senegal also appear on this list after their 7-0 thrashing of minnows Mauritius in a qualifying match for the 2012 AFCON tournament.
The result was also the Lions of Teranga’s biggest margin of victory at senior international level until they recorded a 8-0 win over Kenya in a friendly match in November 2025.
Morocco 7-0 Lesotho (November 2024)
African champions Morocco complete this list with their 7-0 victory over Lesotho in November 2024 in their final qualifying match for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Despite being guaranteed an automatic place as host country, the Atlas Lions still enjoyed a very impressive qualifying campaign, finishing with a perfect record and conceding just two goals.
They also went on to win the 2025 AFCON tournament after they were awarded the victory by the CAF appeal board despite losing 1-0 to Senegal in the final.
Read also: Three players who could make Super Eagles debut in November AFCON qualifiers
Comments 1