As the 134th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday, we will be covering the tournament with regular previews, round-ups, and articles of interest. First up, a comprehensive group-by-group preview of all the nations competing.
By Neel Shelat
Group A: 🇨🇮🇳🇬🇬🇶🇬🇼
The Ivory Coast have to be considered among the firm favourites for the tournament, not least because they are the hosts but more pertinently because they have a very strong and well-rounded squad. They have top-class quality all over the pitch, right from Yahia Fofana in goal and the rock-solid Odilon Kossounou, Evan N’Dicka and young Ousmane Diomande as centre-back options to the strength of Seko Fofana, Ibrahim Sangaré and Franck Kessié in midfield and Sébastien Haller’s attacking firepower supported by the likes of Simon Adingra, Jeremie Boga and young Karim Konaté.
Indeed, it would not be a stretch to say that theirs is the best squad at the tournament, so Jean-Louis Gasset will be expected to make the most of it.
Nigeria should aim to give the hosts a tough fight in the group at least, although they have some issues that need resolving. The absence of Victor Boniface through injury will be a blow, but should not be quite so bad for a side that also has Victor Osimhen among an array of strikers that might well be enough to suffice for the entire continent. José Peseiro’s job will be to field an appropriately balanced side, which is something he and Nigeria have struggled to do in the lead-up to the tournament as well as recent times in general.
Equatorial Guinea are participating in back-to-back AFCONs for the first time in their history, but they are a side that should not be underestimated. In each of their three attempts, they have managed to exceed expectations by reaching the quarterfinals at least, although that record will be tough to maintain. They do not have any standout names in their squad, so Juan Micha deserves credit for consistently getting the very best out of them.
Having never made it to the AFCON before 2017, Guinea-Bissau should be quite proud too as they prepare for their fourth-consecutive tournament. They have never made it past the first stage, and that will be a very tough ask in this group. However, Nigeria know from experience during the qualifying campaign that they too cannot be written off.
Group B: 🇪🇬🇬ðŸ‡ðŸ‡¨ðŸ‡»ðŸ‡²ðŸ‡¿
Egypt are far from the most entertaining team to watch, and yet their record is quite good. The record champions have made it to two of the last three AFCON finals, although they have ended up losing both and are now trophyless in 13 years. Many believe this will be one of Mohamed Salah’s last chances to win a trophy with the national team, so he will hope the side rallies around him as Rui Vitória sets them up to do so.
Prior to Morocco’s incredible exploits in 2022, Ghana were the standard-setters for African teams at the World Cup, but they have been in a downward spiral for quite a while now.
They have been chopping and changing managers on a yearly basis since 2020, but no one seems to be able to get the team to click. The talent in the squad cannot be doubted, Mohamed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu among them, so the challenge for Chris Houghton will be to assemble a formidable and functional XI.
Cape Verde have made it out of the group in two of their three AFCON appearances, but the record will likely be evened this time. Their squad is not nearly at the level of the two top teams in the group, but they are also missing some key players through injury and have had a couple of rejected call-ups from youngsters preferring to focus on their club football.
Mozambique have periodically popped up at the AFCON since the 1980s, but they have never even managed to register a win. That must be their realistic target this time, and the match against Cape Verde should offer a golden opportunity for that. Anything more than that would be a massive upset.
Group C: 🇸🇳🇨🇲🇬🇳🇬🇲
Going into AFCON 2021, Senegal had not won a single international trophy at any level since independence. Their memorable triumph in Cameroon almost seemed to break a curse, as they have since gone on to lift the African Nations Championship as well as the Under-20 and Under-17 AFCONs. Their new generation is very exciting but not quite yet ready for senior football, so the defending champions will continue to rely on veterans like Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Cameroon’s squad is quite strong and surely has the potential to compete for the title, as well as Senegal might, but they have one big problem: Rigobert Song. Even when the ex-Liverpool defender is not publicly falling out with his best players, his tactics are quite questionable, leading to a poor record in terms of results as well.
Should the Indomitable Lions stumble, Guinea will hope to be at hand to profit. They have a slightly underrated squad with decent quality all over, although Serhou Guirassy’s goals will be very important. The Stuttgart striker has been one of the most in-form forwards in the world this season, so they will hope his injury concern is not serious enough to make him miss matches.
Gambia produced one of the best stories of the previous tournament as they made it to the quarter-finals in their debut campaign. Head coach Tom Saintfelt earned a lot of plaudits for that, so he has unsurprisingly stuck around. He does not have a great deal of quality to draw from across the squad, so the Belgian tactician will hope to see Saudi Pro League forwards Musa Barrow and Assan Ceesay create some brilliance up front.
Group D: 🇩🇿🇧🇫🇲🇷🇦🇴
Having been dumped out of the group last time out at the AFCON and then failing to qualify for the World Cup, Algeria will be very keen to set things right. Despite these results, the federation has stuck with head coach Djamel Belmadi in what seems to be a smart decision as he will lead the team into the tournament on a 17-match unbeaten streak that stretches back to the start of 2023.
The squad is quite strong in the midfield and attack especially with household names like Riyad Mahrez and Ismaël Bennacer, but the centre-back position is a weakness. In fact, it is quite probable that Algeria will start without any recognised central defenders as full-backs Aïssa Mandi and Ramy Bensebaïni have taken up those positions in recent matches.
Burkina Faso’s recent AFCON record is mightily impressive. Three of their last four appearances have seen them reach the semi-finals at least, so they should be ones to watch. Their squad is clearly not among the top four at the tournament, but individuals like Edmond Tapsoba and Dango Ouattara will hope to shine through.
Mauritania are also among the teams looking for their first-ever AFCON win in what will be their third appearance. Amir Abdou’s record 18 months into his tenure is not bad at all, so he seems the right man to make the most out of this squad which lacks any real star power.
Angola will hope to make a good impression as they enter the tournament in fine form with just one defeat in their last 14 matches, but they will be without seasoned campaigners in the shape of Hélder Costa and M’Bala Nzola who both declined call-ups. Watch out for Cagliari youngster Zito Luvumbo, then, as Pedro Gonçalves should place a lot of faith in him to cause damage up front.
Group E: 🇹🇳🇲🇱🇿🇦🇳🇦
Tunisia are a very tough team to predict. Although they are currently the third-highest-ranked African team in the FIFA standings, few would call them the third-best team at this tournament. They don’t have any real superstars in their squad but have a number of players coming in from top European leagues as well as the Middle East and a strong domestic league, so as a whole they can form a formidable unit.
The Carthage Eagles’ results in 2023 include a win over Egypt and a draw with Algeria, but also feature a loss to Equatorial Guinea and a thrashing at the hands of South Korea. How Tunisia will fare at the AFCON may ultimately depend on which team turns up to the Ivory Coast.
Mali have also suffered a couple of blips in recent months, but their overall trend is more consistent and positive. They too have a similarly well-balanced squad with good strength in depth – particularly in midfield where they have eight players from Europe’ top-five leagues as well as African champion Aliou Dieng.
Mali have not made it beyond the Round of 16 in their last four AFCON appearances, so they will hope to at least do better than that this time.
To the outsider, South Africa might not look so strong as they are taking an almost entirely domestically-based squad to the Ivory Coast, but that might actually be their greatest strength. They are only one forward short of being able to field an all-Mamelodi Sundowns starting XI, so they can make up what they might lack in pure quality through club-like cohesion.
Speaking of Sundowns, their current top-scorer will be the star striker for Namibia. Their attacking hopes will rest very heavily on Peter Shalulile, but the rest of the side will have to work hard to keep things tight at the back and provide him with good service if they are to have any chance of getting out of their AFCON group, for what would be the first time in their history.
Group F: 🇲🇦🇨🇩🇿🇲🇹🇿
Group F features World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, whose goal will be to build on that memorable run in Qatar with a first AFCON title since 1976. They have remained largely unchanged since then, so it should be interesting to see how they fare at breaking down staunch defences rather than setting one up themselves. In that respect, the impact of someone like young Genk playmaker Bilal El Khannous could be decisive.
DR Congo’s squad also might go a little underrated, as it is very well-balanced. Chancel Mbemba will lead from the back, seasoned campaigners like Samuel Moutoussamy and Gaël Kakuta might feature in midfield, while the attack is filled with serious firepower from the likes of Silas, Yoanne Wissa and Simon Banza to name but a few.
Zambia have an interesting squad as well. There dare no well-known names in defence, but the strike partnership of Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala can cause serious problems for any opponents, especially with support from the likes of Kings Kangwa and Lameck Banda. Head coach Avram Grant (yes, you read that right) has seemingly done a good job of getting the balance of the XI right in his short tenure so far, so the Copper Bullets might have the potential to stage an upset or two.
Tanzania also have a decent squad with a strong contingent from domestic giants Simba SC and Young Africans, but it lacks the overall quality and star power of their rivals. They will need to conjure up something truly special to get out of the group in what is just their second appearance at the tournament, but it is important to keep in mind that nothing should be impossible, or even unthinkable at AFCON.
(Images from IMAGO)
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