Guinea-Bissau [187] had their entry rejected as they had unpaid debts to CAF.
Qualifying round
The 47 nations were divided into 11 groups of four teams and 1 group of 3 teams, with the 12 group winners and the best 3 runners-up from groups with four teams (originally groups 1–11, now groups 2–11 after the withdrawal of Djibouti from group 1) qualifying for the finals. Qualifying took place between 2 September 2006 and 13 October 2007.
Group 1
On 17 August 2006, the Djiboutian Football Federation announced that the Djibouti national team was withdrawing from the qualifying tournament, without giving a reason.[1] All Djibouti matches were therefore cancelled.
^Held in neighbouring Rwanda because Burundi's Stade Prince Louis Rwagasore is unavailable. [1]
^ abcBurundi vs Egypt, originally to be played on 17 June 2007 in Rwanda, postponed due to logistical problems encountered in Kigali. The last round of matches, due to be played in the weekend of 8 September 2007, also postponed as a result. [2]
^Postponed from 17 June 2007 after the match officials failed to arrive on time. [3]
^ abBoth matches postponed from 8 September 2007 due to general elections in Sierra Leone. [4]