AFCON
AFCON 2019 IN ALPHABETS
An A to Z of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded in Cairo Friday with Algeria defeating Senegal 1-0 in a final decided by a Baghdad Bounedjah goal after only two minutes:
A
ALGERIA were crowned African champions a second time after a tournament in which many rival coaches picked them out from early on as the best of the 24 title challengers.
B
BENIN stunned Morocco in the round of 16, winning 4-1 on penalties after playing most of extra time with 10 men following the red-carding of Khaled Adenon.
C
CAMEROON, the defending were eliminated by Nigeria in a second round match that was among the most exciting in the tournament and the loss cost coach Clarence Seedorf his job.
D
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO achieved the biggest win of the tournament by thrashing Zimbabwe 4-0 in Group A with Cedric Bakambu bagging a brace.
E
EGYPT, inspired by Mohamed Salah were shock last-16 casualties, conceding five minutes from time to lose 1-0 against South Africa, and coach Javier Aguirre was sacked almost immediately.
F
FOUR lucky qualifiers made it to the Round of 16 in the new 24-team format.
G
GHANA Black Stars were eliminated after a previous run of six consecutive top-four finishes.
H
Heat ruled the tournament. Temperature was 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), when some mid-afternoon matches kicked off and that affected the pace of most matches.
I
IGHALO, the Nigerian striker, completed a double by finishing as the leading scorer at the finals with five goals having topped the qualifying scoring chart with seven.
J
JUNE and July had the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time instead of January and February meant hundreds of African stars avoided having to choose between their country and European club.
K
KENYA came back at the Africa Cup of Nations after 15 years. Kenya had the satisfaction of defeating east African neighbours Tanzania in a thriller, but were outclassed by Algeria and Senegal.
L
LORCH Thembinkosi of South Africa, starting for the first time in the tournament, scored the goal that shattered Egyptian dreams of a record-extending eighth title.
M
MADAGASCAR the pre-tournament outsiders shocked Nigeria to top Group B, then won a penalty shootout against DR Congo before a jaded side fell to Tunisia in the quarter-finals.
N
NIGERIA finished third for the eighth time to satisfy coach Gernot Rohr, but not some supporters who criticised the selections and tactics of the German.
O
OWN-GOALS were many in the tournament. There were four own goals in the 52 matches with Tunisians Rami Bedoui and Dylan Bronn, Namibian Itamunua Keimuine and Nigerian William Troost-Ekong the unfortunate quartet.
P
PENALTIES, especially in regulation time proved a problem for Senegal with Liverpool star Sadio Mane fluffing two before voluntarily relinquishing the role to Henri Saivet, who missed his lone spot-kick. At the final match, they were denied a penalty by VAR.
Q
QUALITY of the football at the showpiece of African football was often pedestrian with far fewer memorable matches than forgettable ones.
R
RUN of winning every other Cup of Nations from 2012 ended for French coach, Herve Renard when Benin stunned Morocco, whose squad had seemed among the strongest.
S
SADIO Mane-inspired Senegal reached a second final and once again experienced the bitterness of defeat having lost a penalty shootout against Cameroon 17 years ago.
T
TUNISIA finished fourth despite winning only one of seven matches, a 3-0 last-eight drubbing of Madagascar. They drew their first four games and lost the last two.
U
UGANDA did best of the east African qualifiers, finishing second behind Egypt in Group A before stretching Senegal, then they lost coach Sebastien Desabre to Egyptian club Pyramids.
V
VAR (Video Assistant Referee) made its Cup of Nations debut from the last-eight stage and was used mainly to judge handballs with the chief complaint being slow decision making.
W
WEATHER, with 30-plus celsius (86 fahrenheit) temperatures even for night matches, was among the reasons given by the organisers for the many low attendances.
X
X factor was lacking for many of the 24 teams in Egypt. They lacked players with the x factor as coaches emphasised teamwork and organisation over individual brilliance.
Y
YELLOW card given to Senegalese defender, Kalidou Koulibaly proved costly for Senegal in the final match.
Z
ZIMBABWE captain and forward Knowledge Musona was guilty of the miss of the tournament, failing to score from in front of an open goal during a Group A draw with Uganda.
Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has praised Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for what he described as a powerful gesture of unity and reconciliation following the royal pardon granted to Senegalese supporters convicted over offences linked to the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a statement released on Saturday, Motsepe expressed deep appreciation on behalf of CAF’s 54 member associations, hailing the Moroccan monarch’s decision as a demonstration of football’s ability to foster peace and solidarity across the continent.
“I would like to express our deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, for granting His Royal Pardon to the Senegalese supporters convicted of offences relating to the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025,” Motsepe stated.
The CAF president said the pardon reflected Morocco’s enduring commitment to African unity and highlighted football’s growing role as a bridge between nations and cultures.
“CAF has consistently emphasised its commitment to utilise football to contribute to uniting our people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.
“The pardon by His Majesty King Mohammed VI is an uplifting and motivating illustration of the power of football to unite and bring our people together in Africa and worldwide.”
Motsepe also revealed that during recent visits to both Morocco and Senegal, he had been struck by the deep historical and cultural bonds shared by the two countries.
“I was amazed and impressed when I was briefed about the historic and extensive ties between the people of Senegal and Morocco,” he added.
The statement further reinforced Morocco’s rising influence within African football, especially after successfully hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and positioning itself as one of Africa’s leading football destinations ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Motsepe also extended CAF’s best wishes to Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing confidence that the continent’s teams would perform strongly on the global stage.
Among the African nations mentioned were Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Former African champions Algeria and Zambia are set for an early showdown after the release of the Group I fixtures for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Algeria host Zambia on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, in what is expected to be one of the headline fixtures of the qualifying campaign, while Togo entertain Burundi in the group’s other opening tie.
The Desert Foxes are favourites to qualify, but Zambia’s growing consistency and Togo’s unpredictability could make the race highly competitive.
Algeria travel to Burundi on Matchday Two before facing Togo in back-to-back encounters across Matchdays Three and Four. Zambia also meet Burundi home and away during the same period.
The potentially decisive fixture comes on March 22, 2027, when Zambia host Algeria in a clash that could determine the final standings.
Group I Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Algeria vs Zambia
- Togo vs Burundi
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Zambia vs Togo
- Burundi vs Algeria
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Algeria vs Togo
- Zambia vs Burundi
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Togo vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Zambia
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Zambia vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Togo
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Togo vs Zambia
- Algeria vs Burundi
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By Kunle Solaja.
African heavyweights Senegal will launch their quest for another Africa Cup of Nations appearance with a home clash against Mozambique in Group J of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The Lions of Teranga, among the continent’s strongest teams in recent years, headline a group that also includes Sudan and Ethiopia.
Senegal host Mozambique on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, while Sudan tackle Ethiopia in the other opening encounter.
Senegal are strong favourites to dominate the group, but Sudan and Mozambique are expected to battle fiercely for qualification points.
The key fixtures may emerge in the double-header between Senegal and Sudan across Matchdays Three and Four, while Mozambique and Ethiopia also face each other home and away.
Senegal travel to Mozambique on Matchday Five before ending their campaign at home against Ethiopia on March 30, 2027.
Group J Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Senegal vs Mozambique
- Sudan vs Ethiopia
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Mozambique vs Sudan
- Ethiopia vs Senegal
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Senegal vs Sudan
- Mozambique vs Ethiopia
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Sudan vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Mozambique
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Mozambique vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Sudan
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Sudan vs Mozambique
- Senegal vs Ethiopia
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