The momentum is building ahead of the 34th edition of the Total Energies African Cup of Nations 2023 to be hosted in Ivory Coast.
Defending Champions,Senegal is favorite to win the tournament once again.However,they face tough competition from previous champions like Cameroon,Egypt,Ghana, Algeria and Ivory Coast.
In this article,we take a look at 5 Dark horses that may cause a major upset in the upcoming tournament.
MAURITANIA
Led by Head Coach Amir Abdou,the Mauritania National Football team nicknamed the Lions of Chinguetti qualified for their third AFCON tournament;they emerged as runners-up in Group I with 10 points above Gabon and Sudan and just 2 points below the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mauritania will have to get their seat belts fastened in AFCON 2023 as they will face tough competition from familiar opponents like Algeria,Burkina Faso and Angola. The team has never progressed out of the group stages in the last two editions they have participated in (2019 and 2021).
TANZANIA
The Taifa Stars of Tanzania were drawn in Group F alongside Morocco,DR Congo and Zambia.Head Coach Adel Amrouche will be leading his team to their third-ever AFCON appearance after earning a vital draw with Algeria to secure qualification to the tournament.With a young squad dominated by home-based players,Tanzania will be looking to pull up a surprise against the big giants of Africa.
GAMBIA
The Scorpions of Gambia will be making their second consecutive appearance at the AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast. Tom Saintfiet’s men reached the quarter-finals in their first-ever AFCON tournament in 2021.They will be hoping to replicate the exact performance when they come up against Senegal, Cameroon and Guinea in Group C.
NAMIBIA
The Brave Warriors of Namibia are making their fourth appearance at the AFCON.The team led by head coach,Collin Benjamin,qualified together with Cameroon ahead of Burundi and Kenya. The team has started intensive training in Ghana due to the stern competition they will face in Ivory Coast. Namibia has been drawn in Group E where they will square off against South Africa, Tunisia and Mali. The team’s top scorer Peter Shalulile (16 goals) will play a key part in this year’s AFCON tournament for Namibia.
CAPE VERDE
The Blue Sharks of Cape Verde will be making their fourth appearance at the AFCON Tournament.Cape Verde has been drawn in Group B alongside the Black Stars, seven-time champions Egypt and Mozambique.The Blue Sharks will be hoping to cause a major upset in the tournament as they reached the quarter-finals in their maiden appearance in the competition.
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Story by:David Kwaku Dzaku|univers.ug.edu.gh
