Gambia, a small west African country bordered by Senegal, had a fantastic Cup of Nations debut two months ago, defeating Mauritania, Tunisia, and Guinea before falling to hosts Cameroon in the last eight.
Before facing Chad, Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet, who was born in Belgium, advised his team not to become "one-tournament wonders."
"We hope to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023 and 2025, as well as the World Cup in 2026," stated the coach, who has coached national teams from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.
He cited the example of Madagascar, newcomers who stunned Nigeria when reaching the 2019 Cup of Nations quarterfinals in Egypt only to miss out on the latest edition.
Chad hosted Gambia in the Cameroon capital because the landlocked central African does not have a stadium that meets international standards.
Gambia are also affected by a Confederation of African Football (CAF) clampdown on venues with sub-standard pitches, dressing rooms or facilities and will stage the return match on Tuesday in Morocco.
Mauritius are the only nation among the 10 in the preliminary round who have been permitted to play at home.
The Indian Ocean country face another island nation, Sao Tome e Principe, on Thursday and will stage both legs in Saint-Pierre as their opponents have conceded home advantage.
Tito Okello scored a penalty after being fouled in the 54th minute, and although Djibouti equalized, Rashid Toha, Okello, and William Gama scored for the winners.
Djibouti scored in extra time, but they have a big challenge ahead of them in Uganda on Sunday if they want to avoid an early exit.
Eswatini almost assured itself a spot in the 48-nation group stage, which begins in June, by defeating sloppy Somalia 3-0 in Dar es Salaam.
For the sole goal in the first half, Bonginkosi Dlamini reacted quickest to a low cross, and midway through the second half, Fanelo Mamba chipped the ball over the onrushing goalie to double the lead.
