1998 African Cup of Nations qualification
This page details the process of the 1998 African Cup of Nations Qualification phase. Burkina Faso, as hosts, and South Africa, as title holders, qualified automatically.
| Qualification for championships (CAF) | 
|---|
Banned and withdrawn teams
    
 Nigeria was banned for withdrawing from the 1996 final tournament.
The following countries were banned from entering for withdrawing during the qualifying stages:
These teams did not enter:
Qualification rounds
    
    Preliminary round
    
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritius  | 
2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| Congo  | 
0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | |
| Botswana  | 
0–6 | 0–0 | 0–6 | |
| Central African Republic  | 
w/o | — | — | |
| Benin  | 
4–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | |
| Uganda  | 
2–2 (2–4 p) | 1–1 | 1–1 | 
| Mauritius  | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bax  | 
| Seychelles  | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rose  | 
Mocude  | 
| Central African Republic  | Cancelled | |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrew | 
| Burundi  | Cancelled | |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrew | 
| Benin  | 4–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Coles  Bessan  | 
Ould Bechir  | 
| Mauritania  | 0–0 | |
|---|---|---|
Group 1
    
Sudan withdrew on 16 January 1997, due to unrest in the east of the country. They had already competed one match (0–3 lost to Zimbabwe at home), but this result was later annulled.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 
(W) Withdrew
Group 2
    
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 13 | |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 10 | |
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 | 
| Ivory Coast  | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Guel  | 
| Mali  | 1–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sidibé  | 
Bakayoko  Tiéhi  | 
| Benin  | 0–0 | |
|---|---|---|
Group 3
    
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 14 | |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 9 | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 8 | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 1 | 
Group 4
    
Central African Republic were disqualified on 30 January 1997 after the government refused to allow their squad to travel for a match in Sierra Leone on 25 January. Their results were annulled.
Due to the civil war, Sierra Leone withdrew two matches before the end of the tournament, but their results stood.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 6 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 
(D) Disqualified; (W) Withdrew
| Tunisia  | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| S.Trabelsi  Souayah  | 
| Central African Republic  | 2–3 Annulled  | |
|---|---|---|
| Matondo  Azo  | 
Soumah  Kéita  | 
| Guinea  | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| F. Camara  | 
Group 5
    
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 10 | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 8 | |
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 5 | 
| Cameroon  | 4–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| M'Boma  Missé-Missé  | 
| Namibia  | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Van Wyk  | 
Aubameyang  | 
Group 6
    
During the tournament, the country of Zaire was renamed DR Congo.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 10 | |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 9 | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 8 | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 5 | 
| Togo  | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Noutsoudje  | 
Simba  | 
| Liberia  | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Zizi Roberts  | 
Group 7
    
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 14 | |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 | |
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 9 | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 1 | 
| Zambia  | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Malitoli  | 
| Mozambique  | 3–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chiquinho Conde  Faife Macamo  | 
| Malawi  | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maduka  Kamanga  | 
| Mozambique  | 2–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tico-Tico  Chiquinho Conde  | 
Kamwandi  Tembo  | 
| Mauritius  | 1–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Appou  | 
Chiquinho Conde  Nuro Tico-Tico  | 
| Mozambique  | 2–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pinto Barros  Tico-Tico  | 
Nkhwazi  | 
Qualified teams
    
 Algeria
 Angola
 Burkina Faso (hosts)
 Cameroon
 DR Congo
 Ivory Coast
 Egypt
 Ghana
 Guinea
 Morocco
 Mozambique
 Namibia
 South Africa (holders)
 Togo
 Tunisia
 Zambia