The 2016 African Nations Championship qualification was a men's football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2016 African Nations Championship. Only national team players who were playing in their country's own domestic league were eligible to compete in the tournament.
A total of sixteen teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Rwanda who qualified automatically as hosts.
A total of 42 CAF member national teams entered the qualifying rounds, split into zones according to their regional affiliations.
In the Northern Zone, teams played each other on a double round-robin basis. The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:
In all other zones, qualification ties were played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still level, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (no extra time would be played).
The top two teams in the Northern Zone and the 13 winners of the first round in all other zones qualified for the final tournament.
The draw was held on 5 April 2015, 16:00 , at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
The schedule of the qualifying rounds was as follows.
Note: Libya played their home matches in Morocco and Tunisia due to security concerns.
Note: Guinea and Sierra Leone played their home matches in Mali and Mauritania respectively due to the Ebola outbreak (Sierra Leone home match brought forward by a week).
Mali won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Mauritania won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Guinea won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Senegal won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.
Note: Guinea played their home match in Mali due to the Ebola outbreak.
Mali won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
3âÂÂ3 on aggregate. Guinea won on away goals.
Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.
Note: Second leg of Ivory Coast v Ghana delayed by a week due to presidential elections.
2âÂÂ2 on aggregate. Ivory Coast won on away goals.
Nigeria won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Niger won 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.
Note: Central African Republic withdrew. Second leg of Congo v Cameroon postponed to 31 October due to civil unrest.
DR Congo won on walkover.
Cameroon won 1âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Gabon won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Uganda won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Burundi won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Ethiopia won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.
Uganda won 4âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Ethiopia won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Zimbabwe won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
1âÂÂ1 on aggregate. Lesotho won on away goals.
3âÂÂ3 on aggregate. Zambia won on penalties.
Mozambique won 9âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
South Africa won 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Angola won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Winners qualified for 2016 African Nations Championship.
Zimbabwe won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Zambia won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Angola won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.