ANKARA
The teams selected to play in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations were announced on Wednesday night.
Twenty-eight teams in seven groups have competed in qualification phase for the tournament to be held in Equatorial Guinea from Jan. 17 to Feb. 8.
In addition to the host nation Equatorial Guinea -- which advances to the finals directly -- South Africa, Congo, Algeria, Mali, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Cape Verde Islands, Zambia, Tunisia and Senegal qualified for the tournament.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo will also appear in the finals, because it was the best third-place team in the qualifications phase.
Defending champion Nigeria, and Egypt, which has won the most championships, are out of the finals as both teams were eliminated in the qualification phase.
Nigeria completed the qualification phase in third place with a 2-2 draw in the last match day against South Africa. Congo won against The Sudan 1-0 in an away match and climbed to runners-up position in the group.
Although it has won seven titles in the past, Egypt was eliminated in the qualification stage as well. Egypt came in third with six points, while their closest opponents in the group, runners-up Senegal, advanced to the finals by collecting 13 points as of the last matchday.
Group selection draws for the Africa Cup of Nations, where 16 teams play for winning the title, will be made in the capital city of Equatorial Guinea, Malabo on Dec. 3.
www.aa.com.tr/en
