Senegal and DR Congo booked their places in the knockout phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with commanding 3-0 wins over Benin and Botswana respectively in Group D on Tuesday, Afrosport reports.
The Teranga Lions and Leopards played out a 1-1 draw in their previous encounter and knew that a draw in their final group game would see them through.
Round of 16 | Spot 09. 🇸🇳
Senegal qualify for the next round of the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/1vK1lShgru
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 30, 2025
They however intended to finish on a high as Abdoulaye Seck, Habib Diallo and Cherif Ndiaye all found the back of the net for Senegal in Tangier, even as influential defender Kalidou Koulibaly was shown a straight red card for a harsh tackle after VAR review having initially received a yellow card.
Meanwhile, in the Moroccan capital city of Rabat, former Chelsea player Gael Kakuta was the star for DR Congo after netting a brace, one from the penalty spot, and assisting a goal for Nathanael Mbuku.
Round of 16 | Spot 10. 🇨🇩
DR Congo qualify for the next round of the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/n8txVd1Xhl
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 30, 2025
The overall results meant Senegal finished on top with seven points, the same as DR Congo but with a superior goal difference, while Benin settled for third with three points, which was more than enough to see them qualify as one of the best third-place finishers, making it the second time they have made it into the AFCON knockout phase.
Botswana finished bottom with no points and will depart Morocco still searching for their first-ever AFCON point.
