AFCON
GERNOT ROHR DREAMS QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS WITH SUPER EAGLES
Nigeria’s manager, Gernot Rohr had his debut World Cup appearance two years ago when he guided the Super Eagles to Russia 2018.
He dreams of an encore as the preliminary qualifying series for the Qatar 2022 beckons. In an interview with Fifa.com, the Nigerian Franco-German coach bares his mind, reflecting on the past and projecting on the future.
Before he was appointed head coach of Nigeria, the team were at a low ebb, having failed to qualify for either the 2015 or 2017 CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
Indeed, many were questioning their ability to make it to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, especially after they were drawn in an extremely tough group alongside Algeria, Zambia and Cameroon.
Despite these difficulties, Rohr rejuvenated the squad by calling up top European-based players such as Kelechi Iheanacho, Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi. These talented youngsters helped the Super Eagles reach the World Cup unbeaten and to impress at Russia 2018, where they only missed out on the knockout phase after narrowly losing their final group game to Argentina.
In conversation with FIFA.com, Rohr spoke about his coaching career in Africa, his ambitions to reach Qatar 2022 with Nigeria, and his desire to lead the Super Eagles to the quarter-finals for the first time.
FIFA.com: You’re one of the few German coaches to have worked and succeeded in Africa. Why is that?
Gernot Rohr: I always try to work in an effective and respectful manner, particularly adapting to the African mentality.
You’ve coached in five different African countries, namely: Tunisia, Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and now Nigeria. What are the unique characteristics of each country?
I started my African journey in Tunisia at Etoile du Sahel. This was my first experience in Africa before switching to national teams.
In Tunisia, I witnessed first-hand the high standard of organisation and sports facilities, given that the club has won the African Champions League. It was a good experience for me.
After that, I had my first taste of coaching a national team with Gabon where I learned a lot and had wonderful memories.
We developed so much in that period, thanks to the former Minister of Youth and Sports, who made our task easier because he knew football well.
We reached the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012, when we made the knockout stage before losing to Mali in a penalty shootout.
You were then appointed head coach of Niger?
In Niger, they wanted to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, and we were able to do just that after we beat Guinea.
We put in good performances at the 2013 finals in South Africa, a very hot country where we saw temperatures hit 47 degrees.
Despite playing on very hard pitches, the players showed great determination and solidarity.
I have fond memories of my time in Niger. As for Burkina Faso, we went through a difficult time in 2015 when politics took a heavy toll on sports, so I decided to leave after just one year.
Then you moved to Nigeria after they had failed to make the 2017 AFCON. How did you rise to the challenge there?
Nigeria is different from its predecessors in terms of culture and language. There are 200 million people living there.
After they failed to make the Cup of Nations, they needed to rebuild the squad, so I decided to call up relatively unknown young players who had just turned 18, such as Iheanacho and Iwobi.
My assistant and I were able to create harmony and balance in a squad spearheaded by our captain [John] Obi Mikel.
Despite the squad’s youth, you led Nigeria to Russia 2018 after winning a difficult group that included 2013 AFCON champions Zambia, 2017 winners Cameroon, and 2019 champions Algeria?
We had a great first game in Zambia, which gave us a fantastic start. We fielded a young squad that included Iheanacho and Ndidi in addition to Iwobi, who scored.
We were 2-0 up by the end of the first half. We had a wonderful goalkeeper in Carl Ikeme, who had a great game, but unfortunately his career was cut short due to illness.
We then beat Algeria on home soil, which moved us to six points, whereas our opponents had just the one.
We continued our successful run by beating Cameron 4-0 and defeating Zambia to finish the qualifiers unbeaten, before we forfeited our game against Algeria (Nigeria fielded an ineligible player) despite the actual game ending in a 1-1 draw.
Nigeria performed well at Russia 2018. Did you feel that your team deserved to qualify for the knockout stage?
Yes, we deserved to qualify. We played very well particularly against Iceland, and we had a goalkeeper who was only 18.
Against Argentina, we needed a few more minutes to hit back [after their late goal], and small details made the difference in the end. We almost got a second penalty, but VAR denied it. What we did in Russia was very encouraging nonetheless.
After that, Victor Moses, Obi Mikel and Odion Ighalo announced their retirement from international football. How did you feel about their decisions?
We were sorry Moses retired. The same applies to Obi Mikel and Ighalo, because they’re fantastic players. They decided to retire for family reasons or to play in China and focus on their club careers, and we respected their decisions.
We’re just a few months away from the start of the second round the African qualifiers for Qatar 2022. What do you think of your group and opponents?
We have three opponents in the group and have to respect all of them. Liberia are a team that can’t be underestimated as we saw when we beat them in a friendly.
As for Cape Verde, they have players of Portuguese and Brazilian origin, and they can beat any team. Central African Republic are an unknown quantity for us, which makes it more difficult.
I think the group is tough, but we believe in our capabilities. Given that we qualified from the group of death for Russia 2018, we’re confident we can make it this time as well.
Are there teams you want to avoid in the final qualifying round, such as Algeria and Senegal?
There will be fierce competition regardless, but when we play without fans we’ll miss the excitement. I hope fans can attend games next year as this will make the matches more enjoyable.
South Sudan delivered a dominant display to thrash Djibouti 4-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 Preliminary Round first-leg encounter in Juba on Thursday, taking a firm grip on the tie ahead of the return leg.
Keer Majak was the standout performer, scoring once and providing two assists in a commanding all-round display that underlined South Sudan’s superiority and attacking intent.
The hosts set the tone early, controlling possession and pressing aggressively in search of an opener. Their breakthrough came in the 31st minute when Justin Bangasi teed up Teng Kuol, who finished confidently to give South Sudan a deserved lead.
Despite being under sustained pressure, Djibouti managed to limit further damage before the interval, trailing 1-0 at halftime and still harbouring slim hopes of a comeback.
However, any resistance quickly faded after the restart as South Sudan raised the tempo. Bangasi doubled the advantage in the 49th minute, finishing off a well-worked move orchestrated by Majak.
Majak continued to dictate proceedings and turned provider again in the 66th minute, setting up Peter Manyang to make it 3-0 and effectively put the contest beyond reach.
The forward then crowned his outstanding performance with a goal of his own in the 81st minute, sealing an emphatic victory for the home side.
The result leaves Djibouti with a daunting task in the return leg, as they must produce an exceptional performance to overturn the heavy deficit.
With both legs scheduled to be played in Juba, South Sudan will be confident of completing the job and advancing to the next stage of the qualifiers, where six teams will secure places in the group phase of the AFCON 2027 campaign.
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Eritrea marked their long-awaited return to continental football with a 2-0 victory over Eswatini in the first leg of their preliminary round clash in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers on Wednesday.
Playing in Meknes, Morocco, the Eritreans secured a late win to take a strong advantage into the return leg next week.
After a closely contested encounter, Eritrea broke the deadlock in the 81st minute through Siem Eyob-Abraha, whose corner kick evaded everyone in the box and went straight into the net.
The victory was sealed deep into stoppage time when talisman Ali Suleiman produced a moment of brilliance. The forward embarked on a dazzling run down the left before unleashing a powerful shot into the roof of the net to double Eritrea’s lead.
Despite their win, Eritrea could have extended their advantage earlier, but Suleiman missed from the penalty spot after Eswatini goalkeeper Mlamuli Makhanya dived low to his right to make a crucial save.
The match marked Eritrea’s first appearance in AFCON qualification in nearly two decades, with their last outing coming against Eswatini in 2007, where they finished second in their qualification group.
The two sides will meet again in Eswatini for the second leg on Tuesday, where Eritrea will aim to protect their lead and advance to the next stage.
The winner of the tie will progress from the preliminary round to join 42 other teams in the group phase of qualification.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, marking the tournament’s return to East Africa for the first time in over 50 years.
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The journey to the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 begins this week as 12 nations battle for six available spots in the preliminary round of qualifiers.
The opening phase of the race for AFCON PAMOJA 2027, set to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will see the continent’s lowest-ranked teams, based on FIFA rankings at the time of the draw, compete over two legs for a place in the group stage qualifiers.
Race for Six Places
Following the success of the 2025 tournament in Morocco, a new qualification cycle gets underway with fixtures spread across Southern, Eastern and Central Africa.
The preliminary round promises closely contested encounters, with teams aiming to gain an early advantage before decisive return legs.
Among the standout fixtures:
- Eritrea face Eswatini in Meknes before the return leg in Lobamba
- Lesotho and Seychelles meet twice in Bloemfontein
- Djibouti and South Sudan clash in back-to-back matches in Juba
- Somalia take on Mauritius across two legs in Mozambique and Saint Pierre
- Chad battle Burundi between N’Djamena and Bujumbura
- São Tomé and Príncipe face Ethiopia, with matches in El Jadida and Dire Dawa
The six winners from these ties will advance to join 42 other teams in the group stage qualifiers.
Some ties present unusual dynamics, notably Djibouti versus South Sudan, where both legs will be played in Juba, giving South Sudan a potential home advantage in both fixtures.
Similarly, Lesotho and Seychelles will contest both legs in Bloemfontein, adding another interesting twist to the qualification format.
Qualification Format and Timeline
The next phase will feature a group stage involving 13 groups of three or four teams. The 13 group winners qualify automatically. They will be joined by three best runners-up. The remaining 10 runners-up compete in a playoff round for the final qualifying spots
Key qualification windows are scheduled for:
- September 21–30, 2026: Match Day 1 and 2
- October 1–6, 2026: Match Day 3 and 4
- November 9–17, 2026: Match Day 5 and 6.
The finals, scheduled from June 19 to July 18, 2027, will mark a historic moment as the first Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by three countries. It will also be the last to hold under the two-year cycle.
As the preliminary round kicks off, smaller footballing nations have a rare opportunity to build momentum and dream of reaching the continent’s biggest stage.
For the 12 teams involved, the message is clear: the road to AFCON 2027 starts now—and only half will take the next step.
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