The small Portuguese-talking west African nation achieved the finals interestingly to the detriment of previous champions Zambia and Congo Brazzaville and Kenya.
They will be at the 16-group competition in Gabon amid January and February while outstanding non-attendants incorporate past title-holders Nigeria and South Africa.
AFP Sport picks five victors and five failures after a disposal procedure that traversed 16 months and delivered 363 objectives at a normal of 2.5 for every match.
Champs
Guinea-Bissau
Have no stars and mentor Baciro Cande is for all intents and purposes obscure, yet home and away wins over Kenya and a 3-2 triumph over Zambia in Bissau on account of a stoppage-time Toni Silva objective secured top spot with an apparatus to save.
Uganda
After a string of close misses in qualifying rivalries, Uganda are setting off to the finals surprisingly since 1978 with a restricted home win over the Comoros securing one of two spots held for the best runners-up.
Senegal
The main qualifiers to complete with a 100 percent record, after home and away triumphs over Burundi, Namibia and Niger, is declaration to the association and consistency mentor and previous star Aliou Cisse has created.
Egypt
A stoppage-time equalizer from Mohamed Salah in Nigeria against the keep running of play demonstrated urgent as record seven-time champions Egypt won the arrival match in the 'gathering of death' to end a keep running of three fizzled qualifying effort.
Zimbabwe
A disorderly begin prompted by a deficiency of assets constrained the squad to make a 24-hour transport excursion to Malawi, however they won 2-1 to set in movement a five-match unbeaten run that secured top spot while top choices Guinea slumped.
Washouts
Nigeria
The withdrawal of desperate Chad transformed the matches against Egypt into gathering deciders and in the wake of being held at home in a match they ruled, the Super Eagles tumbled to a Ramadan Sobhy objective in Alexandria and were wiped out.
South Africa
Rather than challenging ahead of everyone else with consequent gathering champs Cameroon, Bafana (The Boys) never recouped from a grievous begin in which they were held by Gambia and lost to Mauritania and completed a mortifying third.
Zambia
A descending turn by Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) since stunning Ivory Coast to win the 2012 last proceeded subsequent to drawing three and losing one of four qualifiers this year to end third in a gathering won by no-hopers Guinea-Bissau.
Cape Verde
A group positioned No. 1 in Africa for one month this year required a home triumph over unassuming Libya to seal a third back to back Cup of Nations appearance, however lost to a stoppage-time objective in an amusement hindered by a canine meandering around the pitch.
Congo Brazzaville
The focal African nation have been not able maintain progress subsequent to achieving the 2015 quarter-finals regardless of vanquishing gathering victors Guinea-Bissau home and away. A stun misfortune in Kenya demonstrated lethal.
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