AFCON
Afcon 2023 teams set up seven pre-tournament camps in the Middle East and Africa
With the clock ticking down to the 13 January kick-off date for the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the 24 teams have set up seven camps in the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa and West Africa as well as some remaining at home.
The camps are in Saudi Arabia, UAE, West Africa, South Africa, Tunisia, Algeria as well as some remaining in their home countries.
In the United Arab Emirates are six teams from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Cape Verde Angola and Guinea.
Fourth in the last edition, Burkina Faso chose to set up camp in Dubai on December 28, where the Stallions will play a mini-tournament with Nigeria and the DR Congo.
The Congolese and Burkinabes will face off on January 10.
It’s worth noting that Sébastien Desabre’s men are expected in Abu Dhabi at the end of December.
These two teams will be joined by Cape Verde, fine-tunning its preparation in Abu Dhabi before flying to Rades in Tunisia where they will face the Carthage Eagles on January 10.
Abu Dhabi is a carefully considered choice for Kaba Diawara: “Initially, we will meet in Conakry on December 28 and do everything related to flag presentation, celebration, receiving the head of state, and saying goodbye to families on our soil.
“We will be in Abu Dhabi on the 31st to start training. We will leave there for Cote d’Ivoire on January 11 or 12, 2024,” explained the Guinean coach.
Nigeria chose to set up in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates during their preparation. The Super Eagles will face the DR Congo and Burkina Faso during this period.
Nigerians will likely encounter Angola, who also chose Dubai for their training camp.
At the Saudi Arabia training camp are the quartet of Cameroon, Gambia, Zambia, and Cape Verde which also will partly be in UAE and later Tunisia.
Cameroon and Gambia, the two teams set to face each other on January 23 in Group B of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, will prepare in the same country of Saudi Arabia.
According to the Cameroonian press, a contingent of 23 Indomitable Lions will travel to Jeddah on December 27.
Gambia will stay in Saudi Arabia from December 27 to January 5 before heading to Morocco, where a match against the Atlas Lions is planned on January 7.
After a brief gathering with local players, Zambia will fly to Riyadh, with a friendly match scheduled around January 7.
South Africa is another training centre where Ghana and Mozambique will be. Ghanaians will spend New Year’s Eve together in South Africa. The Black Stars will undergo a 10-day training camp where the press and the public will not be able to attend their sessions.
A test match against Botswana is scheduled for Chris Hughton’s men on January 8 before flying to Abidjan.
Mozambicans will also travel to South Africa before the Africa Cup of Nations.
The trio of Algeria, Guinea Bossau and Namibia opted to set up camp in West Africa
Algeria heads to Togo. From January 1 to 10, the Fennecs will conduct their preparation stage in Lomé. The 2021 African champions will play against Togo on January 5 and Burundi on January 9.
Guinea Bissau will go to Mali. The Djurtus will face the Eagles on January 3 before heading to Ivory Coast on January 7. Namibia will be in Ghana.
Both Mauritania and Zambia opted to set up training camp in Tunisia. After Abu Dhabi, Cape Verde will go to Tunisia, where a match against the Carthage Eagles is scheduled.
Mauritania will start its preparation in Tabarka, a coastal city in northwest Tunisia. Amir Abdou and his team will be there until January 11 and will face Tunisia on January 6.
Tanzania will prepare on the side of Annaba in Algeria. Two friendly matches against nations participating in the AFCON are under discussion.
Eight nations have decided to carry out their preparation at home, including Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Mali, Senegal, and Ivory Coast, the host country of the competition.
Ahead of Nigeria’s match with Tanzania in a Group C contest at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, Goldberg Lager Beer has launched a nationwide fan engagement campaign designed to mobilise support for the Super Eagles and rekindle the passion that drove the team to the final of the last tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles have been drawn in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania, a pool widely regarded as one of the most competitive at the tournament.
Nigeria will begin their AFCON 2025 campaign against Tanzania on December 23 at the Complexe Sportif de Fès, before taking on Tunisia on December 27 and wrapping up the group stage against Uganda on December 30.
Goldberg’s campaign, themed ‘Our Beat, Our Gold’, is built around the rhythm, pride and resilience that unite Nigerians through football. The initiative positions the brand as a central part of the AFCON experience, combining live match viewing with music, entertainment and consumer rewards.
A flagship viewing centre will be hosted at the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos, with activities starting from 4:30 pm and free admission for fans.
This Lagos hub will be complemented by a network of fan parks and mini viewing centres across the country, extending the match-day experience to both major cities and regional communities.
According to the organisers, the activations aim to transform key locations nationwide into vibrant communal spaces on Nigeria’s match days, allowing supporters to come together in lively and safe environments to cheer on the Super Eagles.
The viewing centres are being designed as immersive cultural spaces where football meets entertainment.
Fans will enjoy live match action alongside music, dance, comedy performances and interactive games, with promotions and instant rewards enhancing the atmosphere.
The objective, Goldberg said, is to recreate the emotional intensity of the stadium experience for supporters watching away from the match venues.
“Our Beat, Our Gold is about capturing the rhythm of the Nigerian spirit,” said Maria Shadeko, Portfolio Manager for Premium Beer at Nigerian Breweries Plc. “Football has a unique way of bringing us together. At the last AFCON, we saw how belief, passion and unity carried the Super Eagles all the way to the final. As the team prepares for action in Morocco, Goldberg is once again creating spaces where Nigerians can gather, celebrate and push our Eagles towards a fourth AFCON title.”
Beyond fan-facing activities, the campaign also features strong trade and distributor engagement.
Through the Road to Morocco hospitality contest, Goldberg is rewarding top-performing distributors across the West and East zones with exclusive AFCON-related incentives.
The initiative is expected to boost sales performance while aligning the brand’s commercial goals with Nigeria’s continental football journey.
With AFCON 2025 fast approaching, Goldberg’s campaign aims to ensure that wherever Nigerians are watching from, the beat of support for the Super Eagles remains loud, unified and unmistakably gold.
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Mali will be without Yves Bissouma for their opening Africa Cup of Nations game on Monday, but coach Tom Saintfiet is confident the midfielder will make a positive contribution at the tournament in Morocco.
Bissouma is one of three players unavailable for the Group A match against Zambia in Casablanca along with central defender Sikou Niakate and right back Hamari Traore.
Bissouma, 29, has yet to feature for his club Tottenham Hotspur since being dropped before the Super Cup clash with Paris St Germain in August, and underwent ankle surgery after suffering an injury playing in a World Cup qualifier.
His 72 minutes against Madagascar in October was the only action he has seen this season.
Saintfiet said on Sunday that Bissouma was training and could be considered for their second group game against hosts Morocco in Rabat on Friday.
“In many major tournaments, some players start with injuries and then become most dangerous in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, or final,” the Mali coach said.
“Yves is my captain, he’s important, he’s the leader of our team and we have assurances that Yves will be ready during the tournament.
“When the matches get tougher, we’ll be glad to have him with us. We need a captain who’s present both mentally and physically,” Saintfiet added.
-Reuters
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Zambia coach Moses Sichone will on Monday finally get the opportunity to be on the bench in charge of his team for the first time on Monday after missing his debut last month.
Zambia take on Mali in Casablanca in the Africa Cup of Nations Group A after hosts Morocco beat Comoros 2-0 in Sunday’s tournament opener in Rabat.
Sichone was appointed in November as successor to Avram Grant, who left the Zambia job in late October after a poor run of results in World Cup qualifying, less than two months before the Cup of Nations in Morocco was due to start.
Former Bundesliga defender Sichone suffered food poisoning and was bedridden when Zambia played South Africa in a friendly, and he was admitted to the hospital while his team travelled to Angola for another warm-up game.
-Reuters
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