Equatorial Guinea secured qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations without playing, following Togo’s defeat in their penultimate Group E qualifier on Wednesday.
The Sparrowhawks needed a victory against already-eliminated Liberia to keep their qualification hopes alive but fell short as the Lone Stars claimed a 1-0 win in Monrovia, with Mohammed Sangare scoring the decisive penalty in the 83rd minute.
As a result, Togo will miss a fourth consecutive Nations Cup, having last participated in the 2017 tournament in Gabon.
Equatorial Guinea is guaranteed a top-two finish in Group E, regardless of their final two match outcomes—against already-qualified Algeria on Thursday (13:00 GMT) and away against Togo on Sunday.
The National Thunder, who reached the last 16 in the 2023 Nations Cup in Ivory Coast earlier this year, now joins Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, and Senegal as the ninth team to qualify for the tournament in Morocco.