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Tag: AFCON

  • AFCON 2025  preliminary round matches to hold Mar 20

    AFCON 2025  preliminary round matches to hold Mar 20

    The draw for the preliminary round of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for next year’s tournament in Morocco was conducted in Cairo  yesterday barely a week after the conclusion of the finals in the Ivory Coast won by the hosts.

    The bottom eight ranked entrants have been drawn into four two-legged knockout ties to be played between March 20 and 26.

    Somalia were the lowest ranked team and drawn against Eswatini, while Sao Tome e Principe take on South Sudan. The other two fixtures are between Chad and Mauritius while Djibouti play Liberia.Both Liberia and Mauritius have previously qualified for the Cup of Nations finals.

    Read Also: FULL LIST: AFCON 2025 preliminary draw unveiled

    The winners of the four preliminary round ties advance to the group stage of the qualifiers, joining 44 other countries.

    The 48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four with the top two in each group qualifying for the finals in Morocco.

    Morocco will also participate despite qualifying automatically as hosts, so only one other country will qualify from their group.

    The Confederation of African Football has yet to announce the date for the group phase draw or the finals of the Cup of Nations, which Morocco want to play in mid-2025 thought that will clash with the newly-expanded Club World Cup in the U.S.

    The qualifiers for the Cup of Nations finals will be completed by the end of the year. They are being played in the three international windows in September, October and November with two rounds of matches in each window.

  • FULL LIST: AFCON 2025 preliminary draw unveiled

    FULL LIST: AFCON 2025 preliminary draw unveiled

    The preliminary draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was conducted on Tuesday, February 20, at the Confederations of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

    The preliminary draw was held for the eight lowest-ranked teams according to the latest FIFA ranking: Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia, and Eswatini.

    The teams will play on home and away basis during the FIFA Window of March 18 to March 26.

    Here is the full list of the AFCON preliminary draw:

    Somalia Vs Eswatini

    Sao Tome Vs South Sudan

    Read Also: EAGLES TRACKER: AFCON returning Simon, Onuachu, others hit form in Europe

    Chad Vs Mauritius

    Djibouti Vs Liberia

  • AFCON 2025 Prelims Draw hold in Cairo

    AFCON 2025 Prelims Draw hold in Cairo

    Following the conclusion of the 34th  edition of TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, the focus has shifted to the next edition, with the preliminary draw of TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 scheduled for Tuesday, 20 February 2024 in Cairo, Egypt.

    The draw will be conducted at 14h00 local time (12h00 GMT).

    The preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will include the eight (8) lowest-ranked teams according to the FIFA ranking: Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia and Eswatini.

    Read Also: Be patient, Tinubu’s policies yielding results, Bagudu begs Nigerians

    The matches will be played on home and away basis during the FIFA Window of 18-26 March 2024. The four (4) preliminary round winners will join the 44 exempted teams for the group stage.

  • AFCON 2023: ‘Let’s Do It Again’ organisers hail Super Eagles, Nigerians

    AFCON 2023: ‘Let’s Do It Again’ organisers hail Super Eagles, Nigerians

    Organizers of the ‘Let’s Do It Again’ campaign that mobilized and galvanized Nigerians from all walks of life to support the Super Eagles’ participation at the 34th  Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire have commended the team’s efforts that resulted in a second-place finish, and also heaped praises on Nigerians who gave the campaign their time, sweat, gravitas, energy and resources.

    Toyosi Oyetunji, Senior Partner of Sportdom Limited, said the campaign is a call to make Nigerians believe in the Super Eagles (and indeed other National Teams) once more. 

    “Our objective is to revive the nostalgic enthusiasm for Nigeria football, engaging both the young and the old, with a particular focus on the Gen Z demographic. To amplify this message, we engaged a plethora of celebrities and influencers to galvanize support and convey the message that every Nigerian is an integral part of the Super Eagles’ journey.

     “Big kudos to the Super Eagles for their silver medal-winning effort, which is commendable as 24 teams started the race. Big kudos also to all Nigerians, including the Minister of Sports and the chieftains of Nigeria Football Federation who believed in the campaign and gave it oxygen and drive.”   

    On his part, project coordinator Abubakar Umar Danladi said: “The Super Eagles did a marvellous job wading through the group phase, conquering subsequent challenges and getting to the Final. In the Final match, we were up against so many odds, hurdles and obstacles as we faced the host nation. In reality, there were more than 80,000 spectators in that arena and it would have been a daunting task for any team. We praise the Eagles for their second-place finish, and their efforts surely were not in vain as Nigeria produced the Player of the Tournament in William Ekong. We also had three players in the competition’s Best Eleven, which was no mean feat.

    Read Also: AFCON: Soldier faults national honour, gifts for Super Eagles

    “Like Mr. President said while receiving the team in Abuja on Tuesday, their dedication to the cause united us all in pride and solidarity, and was another pointer that in our diversity lies our strength and ability to conquer.”

     “Our deep appreciation also goes to Nigerians at home and abroad, male and female, young and not-so-young, Gen Z and older Gens, who invested time, effort, sweat and resources to support the campaign. We believe that we have jointly created a new love and passion for our team, and going forward, it would be much easier to galvanize our people to support the team’s cause at any point in time.”

    Danladi expressed immense gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh; the President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau; General Secretary of NFF, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi; the NFF Board and Management and; Muri Tafida, the Chairman of Bergen Horn Limited, for their tremendous support for the campaign. “The 34th Africa Cup of Nations is now in the past. We look forward to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco next year.”

  • Fae reflects on historic AFCON glory with Cote d’Ivoire

    Fae reflects on historic AFCON glory with Cote d’Ivoire

    Emerse Fae  said  guiding the  Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire)  to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title on home soil feels like “revenge” after he was forced to retire from playing early.

    The 40-year-old was named as interim coach of the Elephants midway through the tournament, and capped a remarkable run through the knockout stages with a 2-1 win over Nigeria on Sunday.

    Fae was part of the Ivorian side that finished runners-up at the 2006 Nations Cup finals – a campaign in which he played in every match – but had hung up his boots because of vein inflammation issues in his legs by the time the West Africans lifted the trophy in 2015.

    “It’s a revenge for me, on football and on life in general, because I had to stop playing at 28 as it was jeopardising my health,” Fae told Newsday on the BBC World Service. “Since then, I’ve decided I was going to win every trophy as a manager that I did not win as a player. I had this idea in mind for a very long time.”

    The Ivorians  had trailed in their last-16 tie against Senegal and their quarter-final against Mali but scored late equalisers in both games before beating the former on penalties and the latter with a 122nd-minute winner.

    The Elephants also fell behind against Nigeria in the final, but second-half goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller sealed their third continental title and provided a fairy-tale ending for the side and Fae.

    Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara joined in post-match celebrations at the stadium bearing his name before thousands of fans lined the streets of Abidjan on Monday for a trophy parade.

    “It will take some time to soak it in,” Fae said. “President Ouattara said a massive thank you and he congratulated me. It was important for the country to win this tournament.”

    Fae was born in Nantes and was a youth international for France, winning the Under-17 World Championship in 2001 – beating Nigeria in the final.

    Read Also: AFCON: Troost-Ekong, Aina make team of the tournament, as Osimhen misses out

    He played for his home-town club before switching allegiance to Ivory Coast,, external the land of his parents, in 2005. Spells at Reading, then in the Premier League, and Nice followed before he retired in 2012.

    Fae coached Nice’s youth teams and the reserve side of French Ligue 1 club Clermont before being appointed as Gasset’s assistant in May 2022.

    His family have shared what was an emotional triumph in just his fourth game as a senior manager – although his father was “too stressed” to travel to Abidjan to witness it in person and his mother is sadly no longer alive.

    “I asked my dad, who’s in Nantes, if he wanted to jump on a plane to come and watch the final but he said he couldn’t cope with the pressure,” Fae said. “He had to watch the game on his own, in his house, with no-one around. It means a lot for my family as well.

    “My mum had a lot of sisters so I have a lot of cousins here in Ivory Coast that went through the whole competition.

    “They were with me, encouraging us, texting me. They saw what I went through throughout the years as well, when my mother died, so this victory is for them as well.”

  • African football won the 34th AFCON, with Côte d’Ivoire a close second

    African football won the 34th AFCON, with Côte d’Ivoire a close second

    • By Chuka Onwumechili

    The 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) came to an end in Côte d’Ivoire with millions of viewers around the world shouting at TV screens, and an astonishing performance by Côte d’Ivoire both on the field as champions and off it as hosts.

    The West African country beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final but the good news was bigger than the match. The group stage of the most important national tournament in Africa produced an average of 2.47 goals per game – the highest in the competition for over a decade.

    As a sports communication and African football scholar watching the matches, I’ve noted three particularly pleasing trends at this year’s event. African football revealed its depth of talent at a national level; refereeing was by and large fair; and a tough approach to broadcasting rights has paid off. The 34th AFCON attracted record TV viewership and, with that, most likely record revenue too.

    Depth of talent

    On the field, the 2019 decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to expand the tournament from 16 teams to 24 is paying off. Critics had believed it would bring down the level of action because of the perceived talent gap between the top nations and the rest of the continent.

    But if a read of the media around AFCON is anything to go by, results on the field proved the opposite. Upsets drove emotions and no doubt developed new fans, especially in underdog nations.

    The eight teams to reach the quarter finals were different from the eight that reached the quarter finals in the previous AFCON. Although the two teams that ultimately played the championship game have now each won three editions of the competition, neither was particularly high on the list of likely winners when the tournament started.

    The progress of the continent was underlined by accomplishments made by the likes of Angola, Mauritania, Namibia and Cape Verde. They overcame far better known countries to get to the knockout stage.

    Video assistant referees

    The use of video assistant referees (VAR) was instructive at AFCON. This is a system used globally where referees analysing television footage of the action are asked to rule on decisions.

    The use of VAR was roundly praised in Côte d’Ivoire compared to the kind of controversies over biased or incorrect VAR decisions in European leagues. Former UK player Gary Neville said that Europe had a lot to learn from Africa. Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho praised AFCON’s “unbiased” VAR decisions for ensuring every team had a chance to perform at their best.

    But it was not simply the use of VARs. The match officiating by on-field officials was credible, generating few controversies.

    Read Also: AFCON: Troost-Ekong, Aina make team of the tournament, as Osimhen misses out

    Record numbers

    CAF boss Patrice Motsepe estimates nearly two billion people watched AFCON on TV. The previous record was at the last AFCON, where CAF reported 65 million viewers. The tournament was broadcast to 180 countries all over the world.

    Market research analysis estimates this will translate to US$75 million for CAF. It wasn’t long ago that the confederation faced a financial threat over legal disputes between it and its broadcast partners.

    The total revenue from this AFCON is expected to outstrip the US$125.2 million generated from all sources during the previous edition in Egypt.

    The income from AFCON has enabled CAF to increase payouts to participants as well as to those in its other competitions. AFCON’s increased visibility means the rest of the world is starting to regard AFCON as a must-watch event.

    AFCON 2025

    These three trends taken together, the 34th AFCON appears to have been a pleasing sign of things to come for the tournament and with it the development and visibility of African football.

    Morocco hosts the next AFCON in 2025. The North African country will use the opportunity to prepare for hosting some of the games at the 2030 men’s football World Cup finals.

    Morocco, which has been a regular bidder to host the World Cup, has six venues ready for the next AFCON that have been serving as “home” venues for African countries that do not have approved grounds to host international games. Morocco’s readiness is not in question.

    • Onwumechili is professor of Communications, Howard University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. “https://theconversation.com/african-football-won-the-34th-afcon-with-cote-divoire-a-close-second-223451”
  • AFCON aftermath: Between hope and disappointment

    AFCON aftermath: Between hope and disappointment

    • By Samuel Akinnuga

    So much happens every day in Nigeria, but last weekend was a loaded one. In less than one week, the reactions to two developments have been so intense such that whether you choose to reflect on the tragic incident or the enlivening sports fiesta, you would still be lost for words in capturing what should not have happened and what could have been. Truth be told, it appears to be more of a compulsion than a choice seeing that these developments remain two of the biggest subjects in Nigeria at the moment.

    Had the outcome of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final match between Nigeria and Ivory Coast been different, the mood across the country would have been markedly triumphal. And this would have been in spite of the buffetings on virtually all fronts which the country grapples with. If we had won, nothing else would have mattered as much as having the ‘mouth’ to prove that we are ‘Giants of Africa’. We would still be conscious of the value of the Naira and the associated issues, but we would have been happier to let that concern take the backseat, even if for a few days. I can already imagine that our Ghanaian and South African friends would not have heard the last of it. The banter that went back and forth on some action added some spice to action on the pitch of play. I must admit some comments went overboard, but we love ourselves, regardless. These things happen.

    Everyone would admit that for as long as the AFCON lasted, it provided a respite that we direly needed to make our distress more sufferable. We needed some distraction strong enough to arrest our attention from our sobering realities. It took the game of football being played away in Ivory Coast for us to forget the challenges back at home. Through the one month of fierce competition, the thrills and surprises definitely made this edition of the AFCON one of the best in history. The fact that some of the ‘big boys’ were sent home before the knockout stage was quite something to watch. We are grateful to God and the Super Eagles for the brilliant outing at the AFCON. They gave us bragging rights, but they gave us much more: they gave a reason to be happy being Nigerian.

    At the peak of our dominance during the competition (and this was the day after our victory over South Africa), my very good friend who is Ghanaian texted: ‘I’m super jealous of what your team is doing at AFCON. But I have no option other than to support you because I have a Nigerian family (with a laughing emoji).’ I happily replied: “We wholly welcome your support (with a wink emoji).” I was filled with great pride. That semi-final match against South Africa was by far the most breath-taking of all the matches we played. The tension in the game caused me to take a break from watching at some point. I couldn’t take it. Overall, we did well and can be proud of our high points at the competition. 

    In my reckoning, there is one major truth that the AFCON reinforced: As a country, agreeing on issues is a rarity but when it comes to football, we are mostly on the same page. We love the game. We are energised and united by the spirit. We leave our cares and worries momentarily for the thrill of winning. The way I see it, football for us is just different when the national team is playing. More than anything, we love the fact that it brings out the Nigerian in us. None of us is ever anything but Nigerian when the Super Eagles play. All you need to do to confirm this is to check out the attitude of viewers the Super Eagles score or win. I’ve never seen two men attempting to confirm their ethnicities before deciding for a brotherly handshake or a spirited hug when we do well. Even when we don’t, the solidarity is evident. We love ourselves like that. In those moments, there are no guards up; no tribal consciousness, just pour love for the country.

    Read Also: AFCON: Troost-Ekong, Aina make team of the tournament, as Osimhen misses out

    When the Super Eagles play, it’s over 200 million on the pitch. When the Super Eagles win, it’s a shared victory. Of course, we don’t like to lose but football has its ways: you win some, you lose some.

    The AFCON has come and gone, but we are left with some major lessons. By far the most important for me is the fact of winning when it mattered most. We did not win when it mattered most. We had a tremendous run up to the final: didn’t lose a game and conceded only one goal in open play. We became better with each game from the group stage up to the final. For some reason, we switched off in the final game. I can’t possibly know what happened but it didn’t appear that we came to the game hungry enough to win it. Interestingly, our opponents were a familiar foe. We had defeated them in the group stage, and it was clear then that the Super Eagles was a much better team. What then happened!

    I’m not saying this as a football expert but as a passionate Nigerian who thinks we could have clearly done better when it mattered most. The Elephants of Ivory Coast came from being one of the best losers at the group stage to winning the trophy on their own turf. The hosts went home with the trophy. That is quite a story. Congratulations to them! Congratulations to us too for the great run. I’m sure we will do better in subsequent editions. The Super Eagles made us proud and we will always be rooting for them. Go Super Eagles! Viva Nigeria!

     I chose to end this piece on a rather sober note.

     Words would not be enough to describe how heartbroken I’ve felt since hearing the news of Dr. Herbert Wigwe’s passing last Saturday. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that his wife, son and Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo were victims of the same ill-fated incident. I have still not gotten over the pain and deep sense of loss that I felt when I came across the news.

    I did not know Dr. Wigwe personally and I did not need to in order to appreciate the scale of his impact and contributions to our country, and indeed, our continent. The imprints are everywhere. The powerhouse that is now Access Holdings is a pride of the continent. He and his associate built that from Nigeria – a poster achievement of the possibilities here. I have no doubts that his achievements would offer great inspiration to current and succeeding generations of entrepreneurs and business leaders across the world. His loss is a terrible national tragedy. My thoughts are with the Wigwe and Ogunbanjo families. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.

  • AFCON: Troost-Ekong, Aina make team of the tournament, as Osimhen misses out

    AFCON: Troost-Ekong, Aina make team of the tournament, as Osimhen misses out

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the official 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) team of the tournament.

    Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire had the joint-most players in the XI as both teams progressed to the final game of the competition.

    South Africa captain and Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams won the award for Goalkeeper of the Tournament, and Nigerian captain William Troost-Ekong was named Player of the Tournament.

    Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea won the Golden Boot as he finished with the most goals in the tournament.

    CAF named South Africa’s Williams and Teboho Mokoena as part of the official Tournament Team.

    Ola Aina, Troost-Ekong, and Ademola Lookman were Nigeria’s three representatives in the team with big names like Osimhen and Alex Iwobi missing out.

    Read Also: AFCON 2023: Alex Iwobi and the cyber bullies

    Ivory Coast also had three with Franck Kessie, Jean Michael Seri who beat out Nigeria’s Frank Onyeka, and Ghislan Konan.

    DRC players Chancel Mbemba and Yoane Wissa, as well as Golden Boot winner Emilio Nsue complete the official team of the tournament.

  • FULL LIST: AFCON team of the tournament

    FULL LIST: AFCON team of the tournament

    Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the official XI for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) team of the tournament.

    Here’s a full list of the team:

    Goalkeeper – Ronwen Williams (South Africa)

    Defender – William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria)

    Defender – Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo)

    Left Back – Ghislain Konan (Ivory Coast)

    Right back – Ola Aina (Nigeria)

    Midfielder – Teboho Mokoena (South Africa)

    Read Also: AFCON: Soldier faults national honour, gifts for Super Eagles

    Midfielder – Jean Michael Seri (Ivory Coast)

    Midfielder – Franck Kessie (Ivory Coast)

    Left Winger – Ademola Lookman

    Right Winger – Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)

    Striker – Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea)

  • FULL LIST: Nigeria most decorated country in AFCON history

    FULL LIST: Nigeria most decorated country in AFCON history

    Nigeria has won more medals than other African countries since the establishment of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1957.

    Nigeria has a total of 16 medals, including 3 gold medals, 5 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals.

    Egypt remains the most successful nation in AFCON history, winning the tournament seven times. Cameroon has won it five times and Ghana four times.

    Egypt won the inaugural AFCON in 1957 and has won a total of 13 medals, 7 gold medals, 3 Silvers, and 3 bronze medals.

    Read Also: AFCON: FG hosts welcome breakfast for Super Eagles

    Cameroon has a total of 9 medals, this includes 5 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals.

    Ghana has a total of 10 medals, including 4 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 1 bronze medal.

    Here is the full list of the AFCON medal table

    1. Egypt – 13 medals (7 🏆, 3🥈, 3 🥉)

    2. Cameroon – 9 medals (5 🏆, 2 🥈, 2 🥉)

    3. Ghana – 10 medals (4 🏆, 5 🥈, 1 🥉)

    4. Nigeria – 16 medals (3 🏆, 5 🥈, 8 🥉)

    5. Cote D’Ivoire – 9 medals (3 🏆, 2 🥈, 4 🥉)

    6. Algeria – 5 medals (2 🏆, 1 🥈, 2 🥉)

    7. DR Congo – 4 medals (2 🏆, 2 🥉)

    8. Zambia – 6 medals (1 🏆, 2 🥈, 3 🥉)

    9. Sudan – 4 medals (1 🏆, 2 🥈, 1 🥉)

    10. Tunisia – 4 medals (1 🏆, 2 🥈, 1 🥉)

    11. Senegal – 3 medals (1 🏆, 2 🥈)

    12. South Africa – 4 medals (1 🏆, 1 🥈, 2 🥉)

    13. Ethiopia – 3 medals (1 🏆, 1 🥈, 1 🥉)

    14. Morocco – 3 medals (1 🏆, 1 🥈, 1 🥉)

    15. Congo – 1 medal (1 🏆)

    16. Mali – 3 medals (1 🥈, 2 🥉)

    17. Burkina Faso – 2 medals (1 🥈, 1 🥉)

    18. Guinea – 1 medal (1 🥈)

    19. Libya – 1 medal (1 🥈)

    20. Uganda – 1 medal (1 🥈)