AFCON 2023 finalists confirmed

The final nine slots for January's tournament in the Ivory Coast have been filled amid earthquake tragedy

- MARK GLEESON

Tiny Gambia, who wreaked havoc at the last Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon, will be back for another tournament after qualifying for the finals in the most extraordinary circumstances, both on and off the field.

They were among nine countries who filled the last available slots for January’s tournament in the Ivory Coast when the final round of qualifiers were hosted in September.

There was also nervy progress for Cameroon, plus a place for other past champions, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana, which ensures that half the 24-team field will be made up of previous winners.

Gambia went into their decisive final Group G qualifier needing only draw at home to Congo, but had to switch the match to Marrakesh in Morocco because their own facilities had been deemed as unsuitable for international competition by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), who have clamped down on many other countries too.

The Gambians were in the city already when the deadly earthquake struck, the epicentre not far from the city and which left their hotel damaged. The quake, in the nearby Atlas Mountains, led to a death toll nearing 3,000 at the time of writing, and was the deadliest in the region in the last six decades.

It forced the players of both Congo and Gambia to sleep outside their rooms, on the pool deck at their respective hotels, and according to both coaches left them all anxious and traumatised.