AFCON 2023: Five underdogs hoping to win their first AFCON game
All eyes are on the tournament favourites as the Africa Cup of Nations draws nearer, but we’re turning our attention to the underdog stories of Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Mauritania, Namibia, and Tanzania.
These are five sides yet to register a win at an AFCON finals, five sides for whom this individual milestone may feel like an AFCON trophy. But can they do it?
Guinea-Bissau
If Guinea-Bissau’s results from the previous calendar year are any indication of the form they can carry into AFCON, the ‘Djurtus’ could be in good shape to get their first victory.
They drew 1-1 with Burkina Faso in November and beat Nigeria 1-0 in AFCON qualification in March.
Nigeria boast talents like Napoli’s Victor Osimhen
Their most recent bout, a 6-2 loss against Mali, is less encouraging but such hiccups are to be expected from a developing side.
A promising youngster to watch out for is 19-year-old centre forward Franculino Djú.
He is currently showing sensational form for his club FC Midtjylland, in Denmark’s first division.
Franculino (C) has 12 goals and five assists in 19 appearances across all competitions in 2023/24
On September 11th, 2023, he made his debut for the national team and scored a goal.
He will be an exciting option for Guinea-Bissau manager Baciro Candé, who has been in the position since 2017 and knows the squad well.
The team has qualified for every AFCON since Candé has been at the helm and a win in the tournament would be the next step.
Mozambique
Mozambique heads into the tournament captained by the oldest player at AFCON, Domingues, who currently plays for UD Songo in Mozambique.
The 40-year-old made his first appearance for the country in 2004 and played during Mozambique’s most recent appearance at the tournament in 2010.
Domingues (L) during Mozambique’s 5-1 loss to Senegal in qualifying
Mozambique’s manager Chiquinho Conde previously managed UD Songo and won the Mocambola title in 2018.
He believes Mozambique has received a difficult draw in Group B of the tournament.
“Unfortunately, the draw was not favorable to us, because we are in an extremely difficult group that everyone considers the ‘death group,’” he told DZfoot.
Ghana, Cape Verde, and Egypt are the teams alongside Mozambique in Group B.
Egypt and Ghana have eleven AFCON titles between them
Some may argue that Group C with Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, and Gambia is the Group of Death.
Regardless, securing a result in Group B will be difficult. Conde will be hoping his experienced squad can pull off some upsets.
Mauritania
Teams with emerging young talent often bring excitement to tournaments like AFCON and Mauritania is definitely a squad to look out for in this regard.
Oumar Ngom, 19, has played two matches in Ligue 2 and is seen as a promising young player.
Aboubakary Koita, a left winger for Sint-Truiden in Belgium, is beginning to reach his prime at the age of 25 and just made his debut for the national team on November 15th, 2023.
Koita scored a six minute hat-trick against rivals Genk in September
Algeria, Angola, and Burkina Faso join Mauritania in Group D.
Securing a result could prove difficult, but The Lions of Chinguetti have shown that they can keep pace with Africa’s finest.
Mauritania drew 0-0 with Tunisia in a friendly five days ago and beat Mali 1-0 in the African Nations Championship in January 2023.
Mauritania also faced Mali at AFCON 2021
There is a lot of quality within their group, but this ascendent Mauritania may well secure a famous win.
Namibia
Namibia’s Brave Warriors are winless across nine AFCON fixtures, having qualified for the tournament in 1998, 2008, and 2019.
Overcoming Tunisia, South Africa, and Mali – their Group E opponents – will be challenging enough, but doing so after a period of footballing disruption would be even more remarkable.
Namibia’s domestic football stalled between 2019 and 2022 after a dispute between the Namibian Football Association and the Namibian Premier League.
Former coach Ricardo Mannetti worried that this would hurt the national side.
“There are real worries about a lost generation.
“Guys who were 27 are now 30 and young players at 18-19 have lost out on key years of competition and development,” he told BBC Sport Africa in 2022.
Against the odds, The Brave Warriors have reached AFCON 2023.
Inspired by the goalscoring form of Mamelodi Sundowns’ Peter Shalulile, Namibia have recorded some marquee results during an impressive qualifying campaign.
Shalulile during Namibia’s 2-1 win over Cameroon
They took down the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon with a 2-1 home victory, and held the five-time AFCON champions to a draw on the road.
Add two draws against rivals South Africa in 2023 to that list, and there is reason for quiet optimism in The Brave Warriors’ camp.
Tanzania
Thirty-nine years separate Tanzania’s two previous AFCON appearances, and they were unable to claim a victory in either 1980 or 2019.
In this year’s Group F, The Taifa Stars join Morocco, DR Congo, and Zambia – three former AFCON victors.
They arrive in the Ivory Coast with an underdog squad befitting their underdog story after head coach Adel Amrouche named four players from the English non-league in his final squad.
Haji Mnoga, currently on loan at Aldershot Town, is an option at full-back.
Mnoga is on loan from Portsmouth
Further up the field, Amrouche can call upon Wealdstone’s Tarryn Allarakhia, Boreham Wood’s Mohammed Sagaf and Ilkeston Town’s Ben Starkie.
The Taifa Stars edged out Uganda and Niger to qualify for the 2023 AFCON, and they were the only side to take points off Algeria in qualifying Group F.
Their recent form offers little encouragement though, with 2-0 losses in their most recent outings against Egypt and fellow group member Morocco.
However, Coach Amrouche is relishing the chance to compete on Africa’s biggest stage.
“It is the greatest occasion, and it’s a good dream to play in the AFCON. I am happy for these players, and they deserve to be here,” he told Pulse Sports.
