Holders Equatorial Guinea fail to qualify for Namibia 2014

The reigning champions, Equatorial Guinea, have failed to qualify for the finals of this year's African Women's Championships in Namibia.

After drawing the first leg of their second round qualifier 1-1 away to Ivory Coast, they were held to a 2-2 draw at home in the return leg.

It meant that the tie ended 3-3 on aggregate,

The holders, Equatorial Guinea, go out on the away goals rule.

According to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) this is the first time a defending champion has failed to qualify for the finals of the biennial tournament since it began in 1998.

For Ivory Coast, this is the second time they have reached the finals of the eight-nation event, following their appearance two years ago in Equatorial Guinea.

Also through to the last eight are Nigeria's Super Falcons who secured an emphatic 8-0 victory at home over Rwanda to go through 12-1 overall.

Algeria were impressive 3-2 winners away to their North African rivals Tunisia to progress 5-3 on aggregate, and Cameroon picked up a vital 1-0 win at home over rivals Senegal to advance 2-1 over both legs.

Zambia also scored 1-0 at home over Zimbabwe to qualify 2-0 on aggregate and there was a resounding 3-0 home victory for Ghana over Ethiopia. Ghana progress 5-0 overall.

South Africa booked their place in the finals after their opponents Comoros withdrew from the competition. South Africa won 13-0 away to Comoros in the first leg.

The finals in Namibia will be held from 11-25 October. They will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2015 Fifa Women's World Cup in Canada next year.