Everything you need to know about the Africa Cup of Nations

Live coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations is transmitting across Channel 4, E4, 4seven and the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel, from the opening match on Sunday 21 December to the final four weeks later. Here’s information on each of the teams. 

Please note: at the time of writing, most squads have not been announced

GROUP A

Morocco 

Best Performance: Winners (1976)

Nickname: Atlas Lions

Manager: Walid Regragui (same manager who took them to the World Cup semis in 2022)

Captain: Achraf Hakimi (PSG - born in Madrid, and scored winning penalty against Spain in the penalty shootout in the World Cup 2022 last 16. Both parents Moroccan. Current African Player of the Year, and one of the best right-backs in the world. Just won Champions League this year, scoring first goal in the final.)

Qualifying Performance: Won all six matches in qualifying, scoring 26 and conceding two (even though they didn’t even need to because they’d qualified automatically as hosts anyway)

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 1

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Noussair Mazraoui (Man Utd – right-back but can play anywhere across the defence. Born in the Netherlands.)
• Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid – attacking mid/forward, with seven goals in six qualifiers was the top goalscorer in all of AFCON qualifying, has one cap and one goal for Spain’s senior team before switching allegiance last year. Born in Spain.)
• Chemsdine Talbi (Sunderland – pacy winger, joined Sunderland in the summer and has played his part in their excellent start in the Premier League. Scored a 93rd-minute winner away at Chelsea. Born in Belgium.)
• Adam Aznou (Everton – promising young left-back who joined Everton from Bayern Munich in the summer. May not go to the tournament, but has made Morocco squads numerous times in the past. Born in Spain.)
• Amine Adli (Bournemouth – forward signed in the summer. Was a part of Bayer Leverkusen’s title-winning side in 2023-2024. Born in France.)
• Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal – nicknamed Bono, purely for phonetic reasons. Very good goalkeeper. Had a beautiful day saving two penalties in that shootout win against Spain in 2022. Born in Canada.)
• Hakim Ziyech (Wydad Casablanca – winger who has been something of a talisman for his country over the years. Had a spell at Chelsea. Born in the Netherlands.)

Extra Facts:

• Bookies’ favourites (11-4)
• Hosting AFCON for the second time (the first was in 1988), and will play all of their group games at the newly-opened, 69,500-seat Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat (they’ll also play all knockout games there, including the Final if they make it, providing they top their group).
• Became the first African team to reach the World Cup semis in 2022, and have, unsurprisingly, qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
• Are currently in the midst of a World Record win streak for an international team (18 wins in a row and counting – overtook Spain’s previous record of 15 earlier this year).

Mali

Best Performance: Runners-up (1972)

Nickname: The Eagles

Manager: Tom Saintfiet (Belgium coach who has managed no fewer than thirteen different national teams. Has good pedigree with AFCON; he’s the only manager to ever take Gambia to the tournament, qualifying in 2021 and 2023.)

Captain: Djigui Diarra (Young Africans – an unusually short goalkeeper at 5ft10, very acrobatic. Was the hero back in 2015 when Mali’s U20s came third in the U20 World Cup, beating Germany on penalties on the way.)

Qualifying Performance: Topped their group in qualifying, unbeaten and conceded just one goal.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 8

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Yves Bissouma (Spurs – battling defensive midfielder. Played the full game as Spurs beat Man Utd in the Europa League Final in May. Isn’t afraid to get stuck in – holds the record for the fastest yellow card in Premier League history – 14 seconds.)
• Mamadou Doumbia (Watford – 6ft4 19-year-old striker, part of the Mali side that came third in the U17 World Cup in 2023. Classic target man. Just starting to break into senior team.)
• Dorgeles Nene (Fenerbahçe – winger. Scored a hat-trick in qualifying. Usually starts for Mali.)
• Amadou Haidara (RB Leipzig – central midfielder. A long-time part of RB Leipzig’s team that regularly qualifies for the Champions League.)
• Lassana Coulibaly (Lecce – experienced central midfielder, a fixture of his national team’s midfield. Spent a season on loan with Rangers in 2018-19.)

Extra Facts:

• 20-1
• Faced Comoros, who they’ll also face at AFCON, twice in World Cup Qualifying recently, winning both matches 3-0.

Zambia

Best Performance: Winners (2012)

Nickname: The Copper Bullets (Chipolopolo)

Manager: Moses Sichone (former Zambia player, spent most of his playing career in Germany. This is his first job in management.)

Captain: Lubambo Musonda (FC Magdeburg – over 50 caps, midfielder)

Qualifying Performance: Topped their group ahead of reigning AFCON champions Côte d’Ivoire, winning four matches.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 19

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Kennedy Musonda (Hapoel Ramat Gan – 30-year-old striker who has just recently become a mainstay in the Zambia team. Undoubtedly the team’s talisman in qualifying – scored a goal in each of their four wins.)
• Patson Daka (Leicester City – striker. Has been at Leicester since 2021, and boasts an impressive record for his national team with 21 goals in 52 games. Won U20 AFCON in 2017.)
• Toaster Nsabata (ZESCO United – usually first-choice keeper. Has never asked his parents why they called him Toaster.)
• Miguel Chaiwa (Hibs – defender or defensive midfielder, age 21)
• Fashion Sakala (Al-Fahya – striker, spent two decently successful seasons at Rangers between 2021 and 2023, scoring 24 goals and winning Scottish Cup. Won U20 AFCON in 2017.)
• Frankie Musonda (Bahrain SC – defender born in Bedford, has played for numerous British clubs including Luton Town, Raith Rovers and Ayr United.)

Extra Facts:

• 100-1 outsiders
• Up to five players who featured in Zambia’s 2017 U20 AFCON win could feature in this squad.
• The 2012 win in Zambia was a true football fairytale. Nearly the entire Zambia team was killed in a plane crash in 1993, just after taking off from Libreville in Gabon – the same city where they beat Côte d’Ivoire in the 2012 Final.

Comoros

Best Performance: Round of 16 (2021)

Nickname: The Coelacanths (very old fish)

Manager: Stefano Cusin (Canadian coach, was assistant manager at Wolves for a season)

Captain: Mohamed Youssouf (Ajaccio – 37-year-old midfielder, bit of a club legend at Ajaccio having played there since 2018. Born in France.)

Qualifying Performance: Topped their group ahead of North African giants Tunisia, and were unbeaten. Also won away in Tunis.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 24

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Rafiki Saïd (Standard Liège – winger with eight goals in sixteen games for his country, including the winner away in Tunisia)
• El Fardou Ben Nabouhane (Zemun – 36-year-old striker, is his nation’s top goalscorer. Red Star Belgrade legend, winning five league titles in a row between 2018 and 2023, scoring 85 goals. Born in France.)
• Youssouf M’Changama (Al-Batin – 35-year-old midfielder, is his nation’s top appearance maker. Spent a season at Oldham Athletic early in his career. Scored a free kick when Comoros were knocked out by Cameroon in 2021 AFCON. Born in France.)

Extra Facts:

• 200-1 outsiders
• This is only their second AFCON. In 2021, they memorably beat Ghana 3-2 in a thriller, before losing in the round of 16 to hosts Cameroon.
• Have only been a FIFA nation since 2005.
• Indian Ocean nation with lots of players coming from the diaspora in France. Very experienced squad with numerous players over 30, many of whom featured in the Comoros squad in 2021.
• They’ve never beaten any of the teams in their group.
• The smallest population of any of the nations at the tournament.

GROUP B

Egypt

Best Performance: Winners (seven times, tournament record)

Nickname: The Pharaohs

Manager: Hossam Hassan (a bona fide Egypt legend as a player, won three AFCONs, is his country’s top goalscorer with 69 and second-top appearance maker. Took over as manager last year.)

Captain: Mo Salah (Liverpool – a Liverpool legend with 250 goals for them and numerous trophies. Won league last year but is currently out of form and struggling. Has 63 goals for his country, so a good tournament could see him overtake his manager. Is undoubtedly a hero in his home country – in the 2018 election, approximately one million ballots were spoiled by people crossing out the candidates’ names and instead writing ‘Mohamed Salah’.) 

Qualifying Performance: Comfortably topped their group, finishing unbeaten.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 3

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Trézéguet (Al Ahly – winger, formerly of Aston Villa. Egypt’s top goalscorer in qualifying with four. Named after the famous French striker. Scored against Zimbabwe in the tournament opener back in 2019, and has the chance to do so again in Egypt’s opener in Morocco.)
• Mohamed Elneny – (Al Jazira - defensive midfielder, formerly of Arsenal. Has over 100 caps for his country, and started his own football club – Elneny FC – in Hertfordshire.)
• Omar Marmoush – (Man City – exciting winger who has impressed since joining City in January, but has limited action this season due to injury)

Extra Facts:

• 6-1, joint-second favourites
• Despite holding the tournament record seven wins, Egypt haven’t won an AFCON since 2010 (which was the third of three wins in a row).
• They have made two of the last four AFCON finals, losing first to Cameroon and then to Senegal.
• An overwhelming percentage of the squad play in Egypt, with Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Zamalek both likely to be well represented.
• Have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, which is surprisingly just their fourth time.

South Africa

Best Performance: Winners (1996)

Nickname: Bafana Bafana

Manager: Hugo Broos (Belgian coach with great AFCON pedigree – won the tournament as Cameroon manager in 2017. Has been South Africa manager since 2021.)

Captain: Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns – 33-year-old goalkeeper, who spent some of his youth career at Spurs. Had a remarkable AFCON 2023, when South Africa finished third, saving four penalties in a penalty shootout win over Cape Verde in the quarter-finals, and won the tournament’s best goalkeeper award.)

Qualifying Performance: Topped their group and remained unbeaten, joint-second top scorers with 16 goals.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 11

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Tylon Smith (QPR – central defender who won player of the tournament at the U20 AFCON in the spring, which South Africa won. Has only played once for the senior team, but has been called up to the provisional squad for AFCON.)
• Luke Le Roux (Portsmouth – central midfielder with nine caps for the national team. Joined Portsmouth in the summer.)
• Lyle Foster (Burnley – 25-year-old forward, one of the most creative players for both his country and his club)

Extra Facts:

• 66-1
• South Africa’s only AFCON win in 1996 came in the first tournament they ever qualified for, which they hosted, having been banned previously due to apartheid.
• The team go to this AFCON off the back of qualifying for a first World Cup since the 2010 one that they hosted.
• Bafana Bafana are the last team to beat Morocco (before this tournament, at least!); it was almost two years ago...

Angola

Best Performance: Quarter-Finals (three times)

Nickname: Black Sable Antelopes (Palancas Negras)

Manager: Patrice Beaumelle (French manager. Has won AFCON twice as an assistant manager, both times with Hervé Renard, in 2012 with Zambia in that fairytale win, and in 2015 with Côte d’Ivoire. Has only just got the Angola job at the end of September.)

Captain: Fredy (Bodrum – winger. Played at every youth level for Portugal from U16s to U21s but never made a senior appearance, switching to Angola in 2014, for whom he has over 60 caps.)

Qualifying Performance: Topped their qualifying group, finishing unbeaten, ahead of a fancied Ghana side who ended up finishing bottom.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 18

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Clinton Mata (Lyon – solid 33-year-old right-back who’s recently come out of international retirement to play in numerous qualifiers for his country. Born in Belgium.)
• David Carmo (Oviedo, on loan from Nottingham Forest – hasn’t actually played a game for Forest. Twenty-six-year-old centre-back, who won U19 Euros with Portugal before switching allegiance to Angola. A battling defender, and was a key member of the Olympiacos team that won the UEFA Conference League in 2024. Born in Portugal.)
• Depú (Radomiak Radom – striker playing in Poland, has 15 goals in 18 games for Angola, albeit against lesser opposition, but that prolific record might see him play a part in Morocco)
• Felício Milson (Red Star Belgrade – creative winger, enjoyed a decent start to the season in the Serbian league, and won the league title there last season)
• Gelson Dala (Al-Wakrah – probably his country’s star player, a forward with 21 goals in 51 games, bagged four goals at the last AFCON. Spent most of his career in Portugal before moving to Qatar in 2022.)
• Manuel Benson (Swansea City, on loan from Burnley – winger, who enjoyed an excellent first season in the Championship with Burnley in 2022-23, scoring 11 goals, but hasn’t reached those heights since. Born in Belgium.)
• André Vidigal (Stoke City – winger who seems to have been frozen out at his club despite a strong start there. Two of his uncles played international football; one for Portugal and one for Angola. Born in Portugal.)

Extra Facts:

• 100-1 outsiders
• Topped their group at the last AFCON ahead of Algeria, who finished bottom, and equalled their record performance of reaching the quarters, before being knocked out by Nigeria.
• Have won the last two editions of the COSAFA Cup, a competition featuring southern African nations and usually used to give international experience to potential first team players (that’s the competition in which Depú scored all 15 of his Angola goals.)

Zimbabwe

Best Performance: Group Stage (five times)

Nickname: The Warriors

Manager: Mario Marinică (Romanian manager whose coaching career first started as a junior coach at Leyton Orient in the 1990s. Managed Malawi to their first ever knockout-stage appearance at AFCON in 2021, so will hope to do the same with Zimbabwe.)

Captain: Marshall Munetsi (Wolves – defensive midfielder, a regular since signing at the start of this year for Wolves, who are enduring an awful start to the Premier League season. Not his fault though, usually a reliable commander in midfield.)

Qualifying Performance: Finished second behind Cameroon in their group.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 36

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Washington Arubi (Marumo Gallants – at age 40 is the Zimbabwe first-choice goalkeeper for the first time in his career. In 10 years between 2014 and 2024 Arubi played just twice for his country, but from September 2024 has played all but one of his nation’s matches, and kept three clean sheets in AFCON qualifying.)
• Brendan Galloway (Plymouth Argyle – versatile defender who represented England at numerous youth levels before switching to country of his birth. Has also played for Everton and Sunderland, among other clubs.)
• Sean Fusire (Sheffield Wednesday – born in Sheffield, central midfielder.)
• Marvelous Nakamba (Luton Town – experienced defensive midfielder well known to English football fans. Played for Aston Villa as well as Luton.)
• Tawanda Chirewa (Wolves – winger born in Chelmsford. Hasn’t featured for Wolves this season.)
• Marley Tavaziva (Brentford – 20-year-old goalkeeper who recently made his Zimbabwe debut in a friendly.)
• Tawanda Maswanhise (Motherwell – young winger who is in excellent form and will hope to be a talisman for his country. Just 23 years old, he’s already scored 12 goals in all competitions for Motherwell this season, and at the time of writing is the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership.)
• Knowledge Musona (Scottland – 35-year-old forward who with 26 goals is his country’s joint-second all-time goalscorer behind the legendary Peter Ndlovu. His younger brother Walter will likely also be in the squad.)

Extra Facts:

• 500-1 outsiders
• This is their sixth AFCON, and first since 2021, having been disqualified from entering the last one due to a FIFA ban.
• Lost the opening match of 2019 AFCON to Egypt, who they’ll also face in their opener at this tournament.

GROUP C

Nigeria

Best Performance: Winners (three times)

Nickname: Super Eagles

Manager: Éric Chelle (former Malian international, got to the quarter-finals as Mali manager in 2023)

Captain: William Troost-Ekong (Al-Kholood – centre-back formally of Watford, has over 80 caps for his country. Is extremely reliable and won Player of the Tournament at the last AFCON, the first defender to do so in over 20 years, as Nigeria finished as runners-up. He also scored in the final. Born in the Netherlands.) He announced his international retirement on 4 December.

Qualifying Performance: Topped their group but weren’t brilliant.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 5

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Semi Ajayi (Hull City – centre-back, born in London)
• Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City – right-back, also played for QPR and Blackpool)
• Calvin Bassey (Fulham – left-back, plays regularly in the Premier League. Has also played for Rangers. Born in Italy.)
• Wilfred Ndidi (Beşiktaş – defensive midfielder, spent nine seasons at Leicester City, where he won the FA Cup. Sometimes captains his country. Has never scored for Nigeria despite having over 70 caps.)
• Frank Onyeka (Brentford – nicknamed ‘The Tank’. Defensive midfielder.)
• Alex Iwobi (Fulham – creative central midfielder, formerly of Everton and Arsenal. Has over 90 caps for Nigeria. Is the nephew of Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha, who won the Player of the Tournament award and shared the Golden Boot in 2004.)
• Ademola Lookman (Atalanta – forward born in Wandsworth, won the U20 World Cup with England in 2017. Played for numerous clubs in England, including Everton. Career has taken off in Italy. Scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final when Atalanta won it in 2024.)
• Tolu Arokodare (Wolves – striker)
• Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham, on loan from AC Milan – winger with over 50 caps)
• Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest – defender, born in Southwark)
• Kelechi Iheanacho (Celtic – striker, U17 World Cup winner with Nigeria in 2013)
• Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray – striker, and undoubtedly Nigeria’s biggest star. Has 31 goals in 45 games for his country, and is extremely prolific. Already has 9 goals in 12 games this season for his club.)

Extra Facts:

• 11-1, one of the better sides in the tournament.
• Lost the last final in Côte d’Ivoire to the hosts 2-1 after taking the lead.
• Traditionally make it to the latter stages – they’ve finished in the top three 16 times, more than any other nation.
• Have just missed out on World Cup qualification after losing a playoff to DR Congo.
  

Tunisia

Best Performance: Winners (2004)

Nickname: Eagles of Carthage

Manager: Sami Trabelsi (former Tunisian international with over 80 caps. Managed Tunisia at the 2013 AFCON, when they crashed out in the groups, so will hope to exorcise those demons.)

Captain: Ferjani Sassi (Al-Gharafa – an extremely experienced midfielder with 90 caps for his country. Scored against England in the groups at the 2018 World Cup.)

Qualifying Performance: Finished second in their group to Comoros, including losing to the island nation in Tunis. Poor performance by their standards.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 6

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Yan Valery (Sheffield Wednesday – right-back, born in France)
• Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley – central midfielder, a product of the Man United youth academy. Born in France, who he played for up to U17 level.)
• Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich City – midfielder, born in Denmark)

Extra Facts:

• 14-1, one of the better teams in the tournament.
• While Tunisia lack a superstar recognisable to British football fans, they’re bolstered by a strong core of players with over 50 caps who play in the Tunisian top flight.
• They’ve just played a lively friendly against Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil, claiming an impressive 1-1 draw, so they have it in them to perform against the best.
• Crashed out in the groups at the last AFCON, finishing bottom without a win.
• Have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Uganda

Best Performance: Runners-up (1978)

Nickname: The Cranes (secondary nickname The Red Devils)

Manager: Paul Put (Belgian manager. Uganda is the sixth African nation he has managed. Guided Burkina Faso to their best ever AFCON performance, runners-up in 2013.)

Captain: Khalid Aucho (Singida Black Stars – journeyman defensive midfielder)

Qualifying Performance: Came a very close second to South Africa in their group.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 17

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Denis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns – 40-year-old goalkeeper, still regularly plays for Uganda)
• Toby Sibbick (Burton Albion, and used to play for Hearts – defender, born and raised in London)
• Jordan Obita (Hibernian – 31-year-old left-back, only called up to play for Uganda for the first time this year. Played for England at youth level. Born in Oxford.)
• Uche Ikpeazu (St Johnstone – 30-year-old striker who’s had a journeyman career across various British clubs. Like Obita, got his first Uganda call-up this year. Born in Harrow.)

Extra Facts:

• 250-1 outsiders.
• Haven’t played at an AFCON since 2019, when they got to the last 16.
• Largely inexperienced team.

Tanzania

Best Performance: Group Stages (three times)

Nickname: Taifa Stars

Manager: Hemed Morocco (Tanzanian manager, also manages the non-FIFA affiliated Zanzibar national team)

Captain: Mbwana Samatta (Le Havre – striker with over 80 caps for his country. Briefly played in England for Aston Villa, and became the first Tanzanian to ever score in the Premier League.)

Qualifying Performance: Finished second behind DR Congo, securing qualification in their final, winner-takes-all game thanks to a 1-0 win over Guinea.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 27

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Haji Mnoga (Salford City – right-back, played at the last AFCON. Born in Portsmouth.)
• Tarryn Allarakhia (Rochdale – winger, born in London)
• Simon Msuva (Al-Talaba – extremely experienced striker, now playing in Iraq. Is his country’s second-top scorer, and scored the all-important goal against Guinea that sent Tanzania to AFCON.)

Extra Facts:

• 250-1 outsiders.
• This is their fourth AFCON. They’ve never won a match at the tournament in their previous three appearances, finishing bottom of their group all three times.

GROUP D

Senegal

Best Performance: Winners (2021)

Nickname: Lions of Teranga

Manager: Pape Thiaw (played for Senegal at their first World Cup in 2002. Replaced long-term, beloved coach Aliou Cisse a year ago and has done very well since, getting Senegal to another World Cup and losing just one of 14 games.)

Captain: Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal – extremely strong centre-back, previously played for Napoli and Chelsea. Can make his 100th Senegal appearance at the tournament. Born in France.)

Qualifying Performance: Topped their group, unbeaten, conceded just one goal.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 2

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Idrissa Gueye (Everton – Senegal’s most capped player, classy defensive midfielder, still playing well at the top level despite being 36.)
• Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr – Senegal’s top goalscorer, with over 50 goals for his country. Was one of the best wingers in the world during his time at Liverpool. Now playing in Saudi.)
• El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham – 20-year-old left-back, already a regular player for his national side and his club.)
• Pape Matar Sarr (Spurs – midfielder. Played in his club’s Europa League final win earlier this year.)
• Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich, on loan from Chelsea – striker, switched to Germany after a hit-and-miss period at Chelsea, largely plays as backup to Harry Kane.)
• Iliman Ndiaye (Everton – has had a long journey to the top, rejected by numerous top clubs before first signing a contract with Boreham Wood. Thriving at Everton and is his club’s most creative player. Extremely two-footed and very fun to watch. Born in France.)
• Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace – excellent forward, helped Palace to their first ever major trophy in an FA Cup win earlier this year. Was loved at Watford previously, where he won the club’s player of the season. Has four goals in seven games this year for his country.)
• Nampalys Mendy (Watford – defensive midfielder, born in France.)
• Habib Diarra (Sunderland – 21-year-old midfielder, has featured sporadically in the Premier League this season.)
• Édouard Mendy (Al-Ahli – experienced goalkeeper. Had an up-and-down spell in England with Chelsea. Born in France.)
• Lamine Camara (Monaco – very promising 21-year-old midfielder. Already a fixture for his national team with over 30 caps. Was named Player of the Tournament in the 2023 U20 AFCON as Senegal won it.)

Extra Facts:

• 13-2, one of the more likely teams to win it
• Undoubtedly the team with the most players known to English fans, with numerous players with Premier League and Champions League experience.
• Lots of veterans from 2021 AFCON win. Good experience? Or are their powers waning?
• Recently beat England 3-1 in a friendly in Nottingham, so can mix it with the best
• Have, unsurprisingly, qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
  

DR Congo

Best Performance: Winners (1968 as Congo-Kinshasa, 1974 as Zaire)

Nickname: The Leopards (secondary nickname The Warriors of the Equator)

Manager: Sébastien Desabre (French manager, has overseen a period of resurgence for DR Congo since joining in 2022, guiding them to an AFCON semi-final in 2023, and to within one game of achieving World Cup qualification for the first time since the 1970s.)

Captain: Chancel Mbemba (Lille – centre-back, is his country’s most capped player of all time. Previously had three seasons at Newcastle United earlier in his career.)

Qualifying Performance: Topped their group, won their first four games without conceding a goal, before losing their final two after they knew they had qualified.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 9

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham – accomplished right-back, of the classic defensive variety. Recently switched allegiance to DR Congo earlier this year. Born in Croydon.)
• Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley – centre-back. A product of the Man United youth academy since the age of eight, played for England youth teams and switched to DR Congo in 2024.)
• Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland – experienced left-back, played over 100 times for West Ham between 2016 and 2022. Born in France, who he represented at youth level.)
• Noah Sadiki (Sunderland – 20-year-old defensive midfielder, already a commanding presence in central midfield far beyond his years. Has started every game for his club in their impressive start to the Premier League season. Won the league in Belgium with his former club Union Saint-Gilloise. Born in Belgium.)
• Rocky Bushiri (Hibernian – centre-back, mainly used as a back-up for his country.)
• Edo Kayembe (Watford – midfielder, a regular starter for Watford, prone to scoring a few from midfield.)
• Michel-Ange Balikwisha (Celtic – forward, has just made his DR Congo debut start of last month after switching allegiance from Belgium. Born in Belgium.)
• Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United – winger who would be his country’s star man, but may miss AFCON with injury. Joined Newcastle for £50m in the summer from Brentford, where he was excellent, but hasn’t played for his new club yet.)
• Jeremy Ngakia (Watford – right-back. Has just this year earned his first DR Congo call-ups but has yet to play. Born in London.)
• Cédric Bakambu (Real Betis – forward. May need to pick up the goalscoring/creating slack in the absence of Wissa. At 34, is his country’s second-top scorer. Born in France.)

Extra Facts:

• 50-1
• Are one game away from making a first World Cup since 1974, having beaten a fancied Nigeria side on penalties in the process.
• Have won nine out of ten games this year.
• Made it to the semi-finals at the last AFCON, including knocking out Egypt in the last 16 on penalties. Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi scored the winning penalty.
  

Benin

Best Performance: Quarter-Finals (2019)

Nickname: The Cheetahs (used to be The Squirrels)

Manager: Gernot Rohr (veteran German manager, Benin is the fifth African national team Rohr has managed, having earned a third-place AFCON finish as Nigeria manager in 2019.)

Captain: Steve Mounié (Alanyaspor, on loan from Augsburg – spent three seasons at Huddersfield Town, including the club’s first two seasons in the Premier League. Is his country’s second-top scorer and could claim the top spot if he scores two goals at AFCON.)

Qualifying Performance: Just about edged out Rwanda to finish second in their group.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 20

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Sessi D’Almeida (Neftçi PFK – experienced defensive midfielder for his country. Played in England for Blackpool, Barnsley and Yeovil Town. Born in France.)
• Andréas Hountondji (FC St. Pauli, on loan from Burnley – tall, powerful centre-forward. Played for Burnley last season in the Championship as they were promoted to the Premier League. Now in the Bundesliga, scored for St. Pauli in the Hamburg derby, helping his club to a 2-0 win away. Also scored against Borussia Dortmund.)

Extra Facts:

• 200-1 outsiders
• This is their fifth AFCON. They’ve never won a match at the tournament in normal time, but reached the quarter-finals in 2019 after drawing all three group games, before knocking tournament favourites Morocco out on penalties in the last 16. They lost in the quarters to Senegal, who they’ll face in their final group match in this tournament.
  

Botswana

Best Performance: Group Stage (2012)

Nickname: The Zebras

Manager: Morena Ramoreboli (South African manager, relatively inexperienced at international level. Has won two Botswanan top-flight league titles, and had two stints as caretaker boss of his own country.) 

Captain: Thatayaone Ditlhokwe (Al-Ittihad Tripoli – defender who can play anywhere across the back line)

Qualifying Performance: An impressive draw with Egypt in Cairo sent them through in second place in their group, in a group that also featured World Cup qualifiers Cape Verde.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 40

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Mosha Gaolaolwe (Township Rollers - centre-back, is his country’s most capped player.)
• Renei Batlokwa (Bowers & Pitsea – has played his whole career in the English lower leagues, starting out with Southend United. Now playing in Isthmian League North.)
• Tumisang Orebonye (Wydad Casablanca – striker, plays his club football in Morocco. Very experienced, and has played for some of Africa’s top clubs.) 

Extra Facts:

• 750-1 outsiders, lowest-ranked team in the tournament
• Have only ever appeared at AFCON once, in 2012, when they finished bottom of their group and lost all three matches.
• Their squad is made up almost entirely of players who play for clubs in Botswana.
  

GROUP E

Algeria

Best Performance: Winners (twice)

Nickname: The Fennec Foxes (secondary nickname The Desert Warriors)

Manager: Vladimir Petković (Bosnian manager who coached Switzerland in three major international tournaments, progressing beyond the groups every time, and including a memorable penalty-shootout win over then-world champions France at Euro 2020.)

Captain: Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli – a legend for his country with over 100 caps, and one of the best wingers in the world at his peak. Part of Leicester City’s fairytale Premier League-winning side in 2016, and Manchester City’s treble-winning side in 2023. Before his trophy-winning days, he has a two-month trial at St Mirren, but left due to the cold weather. Born in France.)

Qualifying Performance: Unbeaten in qualifying, winning five out of six, topping their group and scoring joint-second most 16 goals.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 4

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Rayan Aït-Nouri (Man City – left-back, previously of Wolves. Born in France.)
• Luca Zidane (Granada – goalkeeper who played for France at numerous youth levels before switching allegiance to Algeria this year, making his debut in October. Born in France. And yes, he is the son of Zinedine Zidane.)
• Aïssa Mandi (Lille – right back, and his country’s most capped player. Born in France.)
• Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund – accomplished defender who can play left-back or centre-back. Helped Dortmund reach the 2024 Champions League Final.)
• Ismaël Bennacer (Dinamo Zagreb, on loan from AC Milan – defensive midfielder who was Player of the Tournament when Algeria last won AFCON in 2019. Born in France.)
• Nabil Bentaleb (Lille – started his professional career at Spurs, and also had a loan at Newcastle United. Has over 50 caps for his country and a powerful long shot – once won the Bundesliga goal of the season. Born in France.)
• Baghdad Bounedjah (Al-Shamal – extremely prolific veteran striker for club and country. Scored an eye-watering 208 league goals in just 237 games for Qatari side Al Sadd, where he was managed for a while by Spanish legend Xavi. Scored the winner in the 2019 AFCON final.)
• Saïd Benrahma (Neom – tricky winger, best known for his spells at Brentford and West Ham. Now playing in Saudi.)
• Amine Gouiri (Marseille – forward, Algeria’s top scorer in qualifying. Born in France.)

Extra Facts:

• 6-1 joint-second favourites
• Have won AFCON twice, last time in 2019, and numerous players from that winning squad will be featured this time too.
• However, they have crashed out in the groups at each of the last two AFCONs.
• Have just qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 12 years.
  

Burkina Faso

Best Performance: Runners-Up (2013)

Nickname: The Stallions (secondary nickname The Peregrine Falcons)

Manager: Brama Traoré (manager since 2023, played for Burkina Faso in the 1980s and 1990s. His entire playing and managerial career has been spent in Burkina Faso.)

Captain: Bertrand Traoré (Sunderland – experienced winger, joined Sunderland in the summer. First professional contract at Chelsea, also featured in England for Aston Villa. Has over 80 caps for his country.)

Qualifying Performance: Comfortably qualified in second in their group, behind Senegal.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 12

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Dango Ouattara (Brentford – winger, recently signed for Brentford from Bournemouth, becoming the club’s record signing. Scored the winner on his debut against Aston Villa. At 19, his first Burkina Faso goal was the winner against Tunisia to take them to the semi-finals at AFCON 2021.)
• Issa Kaboré (Wrexham, on loan from Man City – right-back, is only 24 but already has over 50 caps for his country.)
• Nasser Djiga (Rangers, on loan from Wolves – young centre-back, a two-time league champion with Red Star Belgrade.)
• Pierre Landry Kaboré (Hearts – winger, only made his Burkina Faso debut this year but has a superb record with six goals in six games.)
• Lassina Traoré (Shakhtar Donetsk – physical target man striker, has a good scoring record for the national side, scoring roughly once every two games. Comes from good footballing stock – his mother captained Burkina Faso’s women’s team, and current men’s captain Bertrand is his cousin. A product of Ajax’s youth setup.)
• Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen – centre-back, extremely fast and strong. A key part of Leverkusen’s record-breaking unbeaten Bundesliga season in 2023-24.)

Extra Facts:

• 100-1
• Have arguably punched above their weight at AFCONs in recent years, as well as reaching the final in 2013, also made the semi-finals in 2017 and 2021, having only done so once in their entire history before 2013.
  

Equatorial Guinea

Best Performance: Fourth Place (2015)

Nickname: National Thunder (secondary nickname The Red Devils)

Manager: N/A (Juan Michá, who was the team’s coach between 2021 and 2025, was sacked in October following a player and staff strike. More details in ‘Extra Facts’ section.)

Captain: Emilio Nsue (Intercity – 36-year-old, plays as a winger for his country, won the Golden Boot at the last AFCON with five goals. Has had numerous eligibility issues throughout his international career amid numerous controversies about Equatorial Guinea granting passports to players with little or no connection to the country. Still, remains his country’s top all-time goalscorer. Has played for Middlesbrough and Birmingham City. Born in Spain.)

Qualifying Performance: Came second in their group to Algeria.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 21

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Pedro Obiang (Monza – midfielder, best known for his four season with West Ham. Once scored the club’s goal of the season with a 30-yard rocket away at Spurs. Born in Spain.)
• Loren Zúñiga (Real Madrid Castilla – young striker currently playing for Real Madrid’s B-team. Switched allegiance to Equatorial Guinea this year. Born in Spain.

Extra Facts:

• 150-1
• Numerous players and staff refused to travel to a World Cup qualifier in Malawi in October, citing issues with their treatment. Equatorial Guinea forfeited the match, the manager was sacked, and numerous players were suspended, including captain Emilio Nsue. Remains to be seen whether the players who were suspended will travel to Morocco for AFCON.)
• Their campaign at the last AFCON was considered something of a fairytale, topping a group consisting of giants Nigeria and hosts Côte d’Ivoire, including a remarkable 4-0 thumping of the hosts in their final group game.
  

Sudan

Best Performance: Winners (1970)

Nickname: Falcons of Jediane

Manager: James Kwesi Appiah (Ghanaian manager who won AFCON as a player with Ghana in 1982. Has been Sudan manager since 2023.)

Captain: Ramadan Agab (Al-Merrikh – veteran midfielder, has spent his entire club career in Sudan and has over 80 caps for his country.)

Qualifying Performance: Secured qualification with a battling goalless draw against Angola on the final day, who they finished second in the group to.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 31

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Mohamed Abdelrahman (Al-Hilal Sudan – striker who is his country’s third-top all-time goalscorer. Has spent majority of his career playing in Sudan.)
• Abo Eisa (Chonburi – winger, grew up in London from the age of seven. Played for numerous teams in English non-league system, as well as Bradford City and Grimsby Town higher up the pyramid. Currently playing in Thailand.)
• Mohamed Eisa (Nassaji Mazandaran – forward, and Abo’s older brother. Currently playing in Iran, but has played for numerous English clubs including Bristol City, Peterborough United and MK Dons.)

Extra Facts:

• 250-1 outsiders
• After some success in AFCON’s early history – including winning the tournament when they hosted it in 1970 – they have enjoyed little joy in the competition since, rarely qualifying.
• However, after only managing two qualifications in over 40 years prior to 2021, they’ve now managed to qualify for two of the last three tournaments, so perhaps their fortunes are changing.
• They’ve got an extra bit of history on their side too – Sudan hosted the first ever AFCON in 1957.
  

GROUP F

Côte d’Ivoire

Best Performance: Winners (three times)

Nickname: The Elephants (Les Éléphants)

Manager: Emerse Faé (just 41 years old. Briefly played for Reading but didn’t make an impact because he got malaria at AFCON. Played over 40 times for The Elephants, including at the 2006 World Cup. Became manager during AFCON 2023, and immediately won the thing! He’d only previously managed reserve and youth teams.)

Captain: Franck Kessié (Al-Ahli - midfielder; previously of Milan and briefly Barcelona. Scored in the final of AFCON 2023.)

Qualifying Performance: Started with three wins but then fell to a shock defeat to Sierra Leone and lost to Zambia, who ended up finishing a point above the Elephants, as they both qualified comfortably.

FIFA ranking (out of African teams): 7

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Richard Kone (QPR – 22-year-old striker who played for his country in the Homeless World Cup before moving to London, played on Hackney Marshes. Has just made his senior national debut following an amazing season in League 1 with Wycombe, scoring 18 goals and winning the league’s player and young player of the season awards.)
• Amad Diallo (Man United – young, pacy winger who broke into United first team from last season, a high point scoring the winner in the last seconds of the Manchester derby.)
• Ibrahim Sangaré (Nottingham Forest – defensive midfielder.)
• Simon Adingra (Sunderland – young winger, previously a regular for Brighton.)
• Emmanuel Agbadou (Wolves – centre-back, has struggled during Wolves’ terrible start to the season.)
• Evann Guessand (Aston Villa – forward. Joined Villa from Nice in the summer, where he was the club’s player of the season last season. Played for France at youth levels. Born in France.)
• Sébastien Haller (Utrecht – striker. Was once West Ham’s record signing, but struggled for goals. Had a much more fruitful spell at Ajax. Born in France.)
• Willy Boly (Nottingham Forest – extremely experienced centre-back. Born in France.)
• Cédric Kipré (Ipswich Town, on loan from Reims – centre-back, recently made his international debut. Born in France.)
• Mohamed Diomande (Rangers – versatile winger-cum-midfielder.)
• Nicolas Pépé (Villarreal – winger, who endured a difficult time in England with Arsenal after becoming the club’s then-record signing. Now in Spain, where he has started this season excellently, winning La Liga Player of the Month in August.)

Extra Facts:

• 12-1, one of the better sides in the tournament.
• Reigning champions, after winning the last AFCON in 2023 when they hosted.
• Have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
  

Cameroon

Best Performance: Winners (five times)

Nickname: The Indomitable Lions

Manager: David Pagou – who’s managed several Cameroonian club sides – was thrust into the hot seat less than four weeks before the tournament kicks off, after Marc Brys was sacked amid allegations of ‘subterfuge’

Captain: The usual skipper, Vincent Aboubakar, has been left out of the squad (He’s the national team’s second highest scorer of all time behind the great Samuel Eto’o – the federation president who left him out of the squad – and scored the winning goal in the final of AFCON 2017, and was top scorer in AFCON 2021. He has over 100 caps.)

Qualifying Performance: Unbeaten in qualifying, topping their group.

FIFA Ranking (out of African teams): 10

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Jackson Tchatchoua (Wolves – full-back, born in Belgium.)
• Bryan Mbeumo (Man United – forward, recently made a big-money move to United after several successful, goal-laden seasons at Brentford. Excellent dribbler. Born in France.)
• Carlos Baleba (Brighton – 21-year-old defensive midfielder, already a regular for his country.)
• Junior Tchamadeu (Stoke City – 21-year-old right-back, born in London.)
• Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (New York Red Bulls – veteran striker who previously spent a very average season at Stoke City, before much more impressive, trophy-laden spells at PSG and Bayern Munich. Now in MLS, where he’s scoring prolifically. Born in Germany.)

Extra Facts:

• 33-1
• Have just missed out on World Cup qualification, finishing second in the group that Cape Verde won, before losing in the playoffs to DR Congo.
• Went out in the last 16 at the last AFCON to Nigeria, losing 2-0
• Memorably beat Brazil at the last World Cup in the group stages, and were very unlucky to miss out on a spot in the knockout stages.
• Less than four weeks before the tournament, manager Marc Brys was sacked, and captain Vincent Aboubakar, goalie Andre Onana and defender Michael Ngadeu were left out of the squad.

Gabon

Best Performance: Quarter-Finals (twice)

Nickname: The Panthers

Manager: Thierry Mouyouma (played 32 times for Gabon during his playing career. Limited managerial career, became national team boss in 2023.)

Captain: Bruno Ecuele Manga (Paris 13 Atletico – veteran centre back who used to play for Cardiff City. Recently became the national team’s most capped player. Currently plying his trade in the French third tier.)

Qualifying Performance: Finished second to Morocco, winning three and drawing one of their four games that weren’t against the Atlas Lions, and not conceding any goals to anyone else.

FIFA ranking (out of African teams): 15

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille – comfortably the best player his country has ever produced. The striker briefly retired from international football in 2022 before returning in 2023. Was one of the world’s top strikers during his time at Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal. Is still capable of producing at the highest level, recently scored twice to dismantle Newcastle in the Champions League. Is his country’s all-time top goalscorer. Born in France.)
• Mario Lemina (Galatasaray – defensive midfielder who spent successful spells in England with Southampton, Fulham and Wolves. An excellent breaker up of play in the centre of midfield, he left Wolves under a cloud at the beginning of this year after being stripped of the club captaincy. Immediately helped his club win the Turkish league title. Won the U20 World Cup while playing for France, who he represented at youth level.)
• Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC – speedy and prolific forward who has been one of the best players in MLS since moving to LAFC in 2022, winning a golden boot and making the league’s team of the season in each of the last three years. Born in France.)

Extra Facts:

• 100-1
• In the 2012 AFCON when they were joint-hosts, they equalled their best performance of reaching the quarter-finals. Gabon won all three group games (including wins over Morocco and Tunisia), with a young Aubameyang in their side. He finished as the tournament’s joint-top scorer.
• Failed to qualify for the last AFCON. Made the last 16 in 2021 when they last qualified.
• Are in good form, having come very close to qualifying for a first ever World Cup, just being pipped by Côte d’Ivoire to a spot at the tournament by a single point.
  

Mozambique

Best Performance: Group Stage (five times)

Nickname: The Mambas

Manager: Chiquinho Conde (had a long playing career, both as an international for Mozambique and in the Portuguese league. Extensive managerial experience back in Mozambique, and has managed the national side since 2021.)

Captain: Mexer – (Keçiörengücü – 37-year-old centre-back currently playing in Turkish league.)

Qualifying Performance: Qualified pretty comfortably in the end. Guinea-Bissau could have overtaken them on the last day if they’d won their head-to-head and got a big goal difference swing, but despite Everton’s Beto’s best efforts, the Mambas won 2-1, away, and finished six points above their nearest rivals, qualifying alongside group winners Mali.

FIFA ranking (out of African teams): 22

Players to Watch/UK-Based Players:

• Reinildo (Sunderland – experienced left-back. Is the first Mozambican to play in the Premier League.)
• Alfons Amade (Dunfermline – right-back who represented Germany at numerous youth levels, recently moved to Scotland from the Bulgarian league. Born in Germany.)
• Geny Catamo (Sporting – probably his country’s best player. 24-year-old winger who’s an excellent dribbler, has helped his club to back-to-back league titles in Portugal.)
• Domingues (UD Songo – 42-year-old winger who’s still going strong in the Mozambican top flight, having previously enjoyed a long playing career with top clubs in South Africa. Is his country’s record appearance maker and the only Mozambican with over 100 caps. Scored his first international goal in over seven years with a strike during qualifying.)

Extra Facts:

• 150-1
• Have played at five AFCONs but have never won a match at the tournament, finishing bottom of their group all five times.
• While they may not have won a game, they did enjoy an incredible result at the last AFCON with a thrilling 2-2 draw against giants Ghana, with both of Mozambique’s coming beyond the 90-minute mark.
• Striker Stanley Ratifo combines his football with a career as a rapper.