TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations ta faɗaɗa iyakarta a duk faɗin nahiyar Afrika a cikin 'yan shekarun da suka wuce, amma wasu daga cikin ƙasashe mafi tarihi a cikin ƙwallon ƙafa na Afrika sun ci gaba da zama a bayan ƙofar gasa. Yayin da wasan cancantar shiga gasar 2027 — wacce Kenya, Uganda, da Tanzania za su karɓi bakuncinta — ke fara wata mai zuwa, ƙasashe biyar na tsoffin mahalarta na son kawo ƙarshen dogon rashin shigarsu a mafi girman mataki a nahiyar.

Congo — bayyanarsu ta ƙarshe a 2015

Congo suna ɗauke da mafi girman tarihi a cikin wannan jerin. An naɗa Red Devils a matsayin gasar nahiyar Afirka a 1972, kuma sun kasance abokan hamayya na yau da kullum a wannan zamani, suna bayyana a karshen wasannin a 1968, 1972, 1974, da 1978, kafin su dawo a 1992 da 2000.

Rashin shiga na tsawon shekaru 15 ya ƙare lokacin da Claude Le Roy ya jagoranci su zuwa Equatorial Guinea 2015, inda suka yi kyau — sun jagoranci ƙungiyarsu a gaban Gabon da Burkina Faso kafin su fita da ci 4-2 a hannun DR Congo a kashi huɗu na ƙarshe. Wannan ita ce bayyanarsu ta bakwai, kuma ba su dawo ba tun daga lokacin, suna rasa gasar biyar a jere daga 2017 zuwa 2025.

Niger — neman cancantar shiga ta uku

Manyan lokutan Niger sun zo a farkon shekarun baya. Mena sun yi wasansu na farko a Gabon da Equatorial Guinea 2012 kafin su dawo don South Africa 2013 — waɗannan su ne bayyanarsu guda biyu kawai har yanzu a karshen gasar nahiyar.

Sun yi kusa da cancantar shiga ta uku don Morocco 2025, suna doke Sudan da 4-0 da kuma cin Ghana 2-1 a Accra a ranar wasa ta ƙarshe. Amma dai Sudan ta yi daidai da Angola ya bar Niger da karancin maki ɗaya kawai na cancantar, yana tsawaita jerin gasar da suka rasa zuwa shida a jere.

Libya — ƙarfin da ya ɓace daga Arewacin Afirka

Libya sun kai wasan karshen AFCON har sau uku — a 1982, 2006, da 2012 — amma mafi shahararren kampenin su ya kasance a matsayin ƙasar mai masaukin gasar a 1982, lokacin da Mediterranean Knights suka kai wasan ƙarshe kafin su sha kaye ga Ghana a harbin fanareti.

Bayyanarsu ta 2012 ta kasance ta ƙarshe, wanda ke nufin sun rasa gasar bakwai a jere. Rashin shiga yana da nauyi musamman idan aka yi la'akari da zuriyar al'adar ƙwallon ƙafa a Arewacin Afirka. Begen su don Morocco 2025 ya ƙare a ranar wasa ta ƙarshe, lokacin da daidai ba tare da kowane buri a gida a kan Benin ya bar Libya a matsayi na huɗu a bayan Nigeria.

Rwanda — kusa sosai, amma har yanzu nesa

Amavubi sun bayyana a gasar AFCON sau ɗaya kawai, a Tunisia 2004, inda suka doke DR Congo suka kuma yi daidai da Guinea kafin su kusa kusan sanya kansu a zagaye na knockout. Fiye da shekaru ashirin sun wuce kafin kusan su dawo.

Rwanda sun sa Nigeria mamaki 2-1 a Uyo a ranar ƙarshe na wasan cancantar shiga Morocco 2025, suna ƙarewa da maki takwas — daidai da Benin. Amma Benin ta ɗauki matsayi na biyu na cancanta bisa rikodin tsakaninsu kai tsaye, yana tsawaita jiran Rwanda don bayyanar ta biyu sama da shekaru 20.

Liberia — suna ɗaukar gadon George Weah

Bayyanar Liberia guda biyu sun zo a cikin shekarun matsayin George Weah, mafi girman basira na mutum ɗaya a ƙwallon ƙafa na Afrika a zamaninsa. Lone Stars sun fara gasar a South Africa 1996, suna doke Gabon 2-1, sannan suka dawo don Mali 2002, inda Weah ya kasance a cikin masu zura kwallo yayin da suka yi daidai da Mali da Algeria kafin shan kaye na kusa da Nigeria ya ƙare gudumarsu.

Ba a samu bayyana ta uku ba tun daga lokacin. A wasan cancantar Morocco 2025, Liberia sun ƙare a bayan Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, da Togo a cikin ƙungiyarsu, suna tsawaita rashin shigarsu da ya haura shekaru ashirin.