January 02, (THEWILL) – After enduring two enforced postponements, due to unfavourable climate and the COVID-19 pandemic, the TotalEnergies 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), will now take place between January 9 and February 6, 2022 in Cameroon. About 52 countries out of the 54 on the continent took part in the qualifying stages of the competition, with Eritrea and Somalia opting out. In the end, 24 national teams booked their slots for what will be the 33rd edition of the biennial continental tournament.
The 24 teams were drawn into four-teamed groups from A to F for the initial round of the competition. Group A, with hosts Cameroon are billed to play their matches at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé. They will contend against Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Ethiopia. Group B, consisting of Guinea, Malawi, Senegal and Zimbabwe, will compete at the Kouekong Stadium in Bafoussam while Group C teams – Comoros, Gabon, Ghana and Morocco – will slug it out at the Yaoundé-based Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.
The Super Eagles will seek to reach the knockout stages from Group D while playing against Egypt, Guinea Bissau and Sudan at the Roumdé Adjia Stadium in Garoua. The teams in Group E, such as Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone will play at the Douala-sited Japoma Stadium and the Limbe Stadium, just as the Group F teams of Gambia, Mali, Mauritania and Tunisia.
THEWILL provides below, a definitive guide to the 23 African teams that have proven themselves, through tough qualifying games, at home and away, with fans and without, in times of normalcy and under the health and safety protocols of the COVID-19 era, to be capable of representing the best the continent has to offer in football terms with the intention to battle it out in Cameroon for the title of African Champions.
Of the lot, two teams, from the Comoros and the Gambia are going to their debut AFCON tournament and will have nothing to prove but to show that they deserved their opportunity to be reckoned with on the continent. Nigeria’s group mates, Egypt, are going for their 25th episode as the country with the most appearances and the most successful African side in the competition, having won it seven times previously.
In the THEWILL guide that follows, there are details of how many times each qualified country has made it to the AFCON, when they last played at the continental showpiece of African football excellence, in what years each team performed their best and how they ended their part of the competition during their best years to better appreciate the background to this year’s qualifiers and to have as a handy keepsake when the tournament kicks off next Sunday.
To keep it orderly, the 24 teams have been arranged according to their groups, from A to F.
Group A
BURKINA FASO
Prior to qualifying for the 2021 AFCON, the Stallions of Burkina Faso have made 11 appearances at the continental event, but they are yet to win the trophy. The closest they have come to clinching the coveted African trophy was in 2013. They lost the final to the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Their last AFCON was the 2017 edition as they failed to qualify for 2019. They have qualified for this year’s event in Cameroon, which will be their 12th appearance, under the guidance of Coach Kamou Malo.
CAMEROON
As hosts, the Indomitable Lions will be participating at the 2022 competition with Coach Toni Conceicao in charge. They have been one of the most successful African teams at the continental level, with five trophies to show for their 20 appearances. They are also one of the few African teams to successfully defend the continental title between 2000 and 2002, their third and fourth titles. Their last appearance was at the 2019 event where they failed to defend it again after their 2017 success.
CAPE VERDE
The Blue Sharks of Cape Verde have previously made it to two AFCON events. The first time was 2013 when they surpassed the expectations of football fans and pundits to reach the quarter-finals. Their second and last appearance was at the 2015 tournament, where they did not progress beyond the group stages after three draws from three matches. However, as they venture into their third, coach Pedro Leitao Brito, fondly called ‘Babista,’ will be hoping they can improve on their 2013 debut.
ETHIOPIA
Ten previous appearances for the Walia Ibex of Ethiopia has established the landlocked country on the Horn of Africa as one of the regular qualifiers but not very successful with winning especially recently because for all their showings, they have only a 1962 title to show. After an eight-year absence, Wubetu Abate’s charges must show that they can be known as modern-day winners too.
Group B
GUINEA
The Syli Nationale of Guinea return for the 13th time to improve on a history of no-show in the honours list at the AFCON tournament. The disappointing run does not inspire confidence as the best of their 12 previous showings was a dated runner-up slot at the 1976 tournament. There is something to be said about their consistent qualification as their last event was in 2019, but it is expected of the team with the tactical guidance of Kaba Diawara to do more than just make up the numbers for these continental competitions and bring home more honour.
MALAWI
The Flames of Malawi have made it to two AFCON tournaments but failed to go beyond the group stages. Malawi is returning to the continental competition after a sustained absence of 11 years. After a second group stage exit in 2010, Malawi did not qualify for AFCON until this year. It may be something about what the coach, Meke Mwase, has infused into the team or another factor, but if they can build on it, perhaps a better outcome than the previous two may result.
SENEGAL
Senegal’s Lions of Teranga have built a formidable team with individual talents sprinkled across Europe’s biggest clubs heading into next year’s African competition. Their 15 previous appearances in the competition tell a story of consistency and resilience and their recent best showing being a runners-up finishing in the last time in 2019 means they have straightforward favourites. It now behoves on Aliou Cisse, their coach to blend these talents into a cohesive force and bring their talents to bear so that the team can improve on their AFCON history of two runners-up endings in Cameroon and demonstrate why they are the highest-ranked African side.
ZIMBABWE
The Warriors of Zimbabwe have not been very warlike in their previous four appearances at the African football showpiece. Each time they qualified, they exited at the group stage. In 2004, 2006, 2017 and 2019, the circumstances did not change. They have returned for the 2022 competition with interim coach Norman Mapeza, instead of Zdravko Lugaruric, calling the shots from the dugout, they may be charged to go the distance. Yet, escaping the group may be the sign of better days ahead.
Group C
COMOROS
The qualifying series for Cameroon 2021 had a fairy-tale ending for Les Coelacantes of Comoros as they resiliently reached their first-ever AFCON to the pleasure of coach Amir Abdou. A top-two Group G finish was no small feat for Comoros as the group boasted stronger footballing nations like Kenya, with six AFCON appearances and one win, Togo, with eight appearances and one win, and group winners Egypt, 25 appearances and seven wins. But, the small island nation, which has only been competing in international football since 2006, picked up the second ticket in the group and will hope to show Africa some more of their resilience in Cameroon.
GABON
Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s captainship of the Panthers of Gabon was inspiring as it led to their return to competing for glory on the continental stage after missing the previous 2019 edition. Although their last appearance was in 2017, their best showing at the AFCON had been a while. They have never gone past the quarter-finals stage, which they reached twice before in 1996 and 2012. With Patrice Neveu in their dugout, applying tactical injection into the team’s game, they have a good shot at better outcomes.
GHANA
The Black Stars of Ghana are the side with the third most appearances that qualified for the competition in 2022. Having been to AFCON 23 times, they deserve the consideration of tournament favourites that seem to follow them every time they show. And, they have the titles to show for it, carrying victories home in the 1963 edition that they defended in the 1965 event and two more in 1978 and 1982. Though they are yet to claim victories since the turn of the century, their physical toughness and defensive reputation set them apart as a team to watch. But, Milovan Rajevac’s charges must know their nation expects a trophy to bring them back to continental reckoning.
MOROCCO
One old record of title winning, in far away 1976, is all the Atlas Lions of Morocco have to boast of in their 17 appearances at the African football showpiece that is the AFCON. Although the were at the immediate recent competition of 2019, they failed to make it past the Round of 16, falling to the Republic of Benin through shootouts. It now rests on the leadership qualities of team captain Romain Saiss and coach Vahid Halilhodzic to infuse that winning mentality into the side for a competitive bite to make sure their 18th progression counts for more than just another appearance.
Group D
EGYPT
The Pharaohs of Egypt have done enough to establish their continental superiority in football at both the national and club levels, even reaching as far as fourth place in the recently concluded FIFA Arab Cup. Their unrivalled seven African titles cement their status as the dominant country of the tournament. They are always favourites to take home the trophy and prove that entitlement as valid often. They have defended the title twice, between 1957 and 1959 and between 2006 and 2008. Added to those four were victorious outings in 1986, 1998 and 2010. Their last showing was at the 2019 event. Carlos Queiroz, their Portuguese coach, will lead the Elephants to once again aim for further glory.
GUINEA BISSAU
For each of the two previous appearances of the Djurtus of Guinea Bissau at the AFCON tournament in 2017 and 2019, they have failed to make it beyond the Group stages. But, they have one thing going for them, in that they keep coming back to the continental event. Could this be third time lucky for them, will the the question for their coach Baciro Cande, as he prepares for another shot at the top spots when Cameroon 2021 gets underway next year. If they make it beyond the group level, they will have made some progress on their record.
NIGERIA
Three-time winners, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have usually been picked as favourites to win the AFCON every time and there are statistics that back why: the Super Eagles have finished in third place 15 times since 1976. In fact, Nigeria has consistently reached third place at AFCON since 1963. But, shocking, they have just as easily missed clinching the prize, except for the three times in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Yet, they have not always been at the event as they have been banned once, withdrew four times, and failed to qualify in 2012, 2015, and 2017. As the Austin Eguavoen’s team flies into AFCON 2021 with an unbeaten qualifying flight, it might just be their year again, with new head coach Jose Peseiro joining as observer.
SUDAN
The Sudanese Falcons of Jediane are into the 9th AFCON tournament but boast of having clinched the most coveted prize in African football once before and tasted the nectar of victory. But, that taste must have faded from their tongues because it came long ago, in the AFCON of 1970. As much as they will treasure that history, Burhan Tia’s charges need not be told that they have the responsibility to create their own legacy and be the modern day heroes just as their 1970 compatriots were in their time. After successfully qualifying, which they have not managed since 2012, they have a charge to make it count.
Group E
ALGERIA
Coming into the AFCON on the back of the triumph at the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and as the defending champions, having won the 32nd AFCON hosted by Egypt from June 21 to July 19, 2019, Algeria are top favourites to defend their title. This year, they picked their ticket under the guidance of the same coach Djamel Belmadi to make it to their 19th showing at the continental tournament. Apart from 2019, they were also winners at a previous competition, the 1990 AFCON. They are a team to watch as favourites for the 2021 title.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Juan Micha’s Nzalang Nacional team are similar to the Cape Verde team in the sense that this is their third time qualifying for the continental showpiece. They will go into the competition with the intention of improving on their 2015 appearance, where their impressive showing saw them go home as the fourth best team overall.
COTE D’IVOIRE
The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire have AFCON appearance numbers that rival Africa’s most successful side Egypt having notched up only one less than the 25 cases of the Pharaoh’s. With 24 showings, it is a tad disappointing that they have only been able to take home the trophy twice. The dismay is most glaring when juxtaposed with the seven the North Africans have collected in almost similar timeframes. The Elephants must rise again gallantly to better their lot from trophies in 1992 and 2015 and their inability to defend their title in 2017 to an improved 2022 tournament under the distinguished direction of coach Patrice Beaumelle.
SIERRA LEONE
The Leone Stars of Sierra Leone have thrice qualified for the African competition. In what is regarded as their golden age of football in the 1990s, they qualified for both the 1994 and 1996 AFCON tournaments although they exited from the group stages at both. They are then forced to withdraw from the next two editions due to the Sierra Leone Civil War. Unfortunately, in August 2014, the FA cancelled all football matches in an effort to stop the spread of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in the country. This was followed by a FIFA suspension in 2018 over government interference before they returned in 2020 to qualify for next month’s tournament under coach John Keister.
Group F
GAMBIA
The second debutant to AFCON after Comoros, the Scorpions of Gambia are a surprise package qualifying through the same group as the Panthers of Gabon and were so impressive, they topped Group D, where four-timers Angola failed to qualify. The Tom Saintfiet-led team may have not much to prove but it was be unfortunate for any team that underrates the sheer tenacity of the venomous Scorpions.
MALI
The Eagles of Mali are one of the three teams going to Cameroon 2022 using the “eagle” in their nicknames; the other two being the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia. The Mohamed Magassouba team are heading to their 12th AFCON with only an old memory of the times they used to be feared. Their best performance in their previous showings go all the way back to the 1972 event where they lost in the finals to the Congolese to end as runners up. They will be itching to soar to the title this time and prove themselves to best Eagles and the champions of African football.
MAURITANIA
As the only side coming into her second ever AFCON with the 2022 Cameroon event, the Mauritanian Lions of Chinguetti must be ready to prove themselves as no outsiders and no pushovers in African football. They may have exited from the group stage in their debut in 2019 but losing only one of six qualifying matches in a group with heavy hitters like Morocco and overcoming the challenges of Burundi and the Central African Republic should count for something. New manager Didier Gomes Da Rosa must rally his charges to demonstrate more of that resolve to see them advance from the group stages this time around.
TUNISIA
With 19 previous appearances that have yielded one trophy, in AFCON 2004, the Carthage Eagles have been a force of reckoning on the continent. Their second place ranking of football teams across the continent by FIFA attests to the superiority that they possess. But, they must translate it into titles. It must have crossed coach Mondher Kebaier’s consciousness that at their 15th appearance, for instance, the Super Eagles already had three titles, which could have been a lot more were they slightly more clinical. The North African team must be approach Cameroon 2021 with the conqueror mentality to make their 20th appearance a remarkable one. Their runners-up position at the recently concluded FIFA Arab Cup will provide the boost and confidence they need to excel.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
