International Football
A year to remember for African Football
The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) wrapped up an extraordinary year of football in 2024, with major milestones in men’s, women’s, youth, and club football.
From Côte d’Ivoire’s historic AFCON victory to landmark performances in CAF competitions, here’s a comprehensive look at the year in African football.
Côte d’Ivoire triumphs at AFCON 2023
The year began with the culmination of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, where the hosts stunned the continent by lifting their third AFCON title. Despite a shaky start, a managerial change mid-tournament reinvigorated the Elephants. Emerse Fae’s side edged Nigeria 2-1 in a dramatic final in Abidjan, in front of over 57,000 fans. The tournament dubbed the “AFCON of the century,” saw emerging teams like Cabo Verde, Mauritania, and Equatorial Guinea make impressive runs.
2025 AFCON Qualifiers Provide Thrills
The qualification campaign for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) delivered high-octane drama. Twenty-four nations secured their spots for the tournament to be hosted by Morocco. Powerhouses like Nigeria, Senegal, and Egypt booked their tickets, while Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Comoros made exciting comebacks to the continental stage. The qualifiers featured thrilling narratives, including Botswana’s unexpected draw against Egypt to qualify and Zimbabwe’s resurgence after missing recent editions.
Diaz was the top scorer in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers
World Cup qualifying Excitement
In the FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifiers, African teams made a strong start, with Côte d’Ivoire emerging as top scorers and Sudan and Tunisia topping their respective groups.
Ghana’s Jordan Ayew dazzled with a hat-trick in a thrilling 4-3 win over the Central African Republic, while Mohamed Salah and Trezeguet kept Egypt’s hopes alive with stellar performances. These early stages underscore Africa’s growing ambitions on the global stage.
Al Ahly and Zamalek Shine in CAF Club Competitions
Al Ahly reaffirmed their dominance in African club football, claiming their record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Tunisia’s Esperance. The Egyptians also went unbeaten throughout the campaign, underscoring their supremacy.
Meanwhile, Egyptian rivals Zamalek dramatically clinched the CAF Confederation Cup, overturning a first-leg deficit against RS Berkane to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory. Zamalek followed this up by defeating Al Ahly in the CAF Super Cup via a penalty shootout, sealing a stellar year for the club.
TP Mazembe Crowned Queens of Africa
In women’s football, TP Mazembe from DR Congo lifted their maiden CAF Women’s Champions League title with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Morocco’s AS FAR in the final. A first-half penalty from Marlene Kasaj proved decisive as Mazembe displayed resilience against the former champions. This triumph capped a remarkable journey for the Congolese side after their earlier group-stage exit in 2022.
Women’s Football Growth
The CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) draw revealed a highly competitive tournament scheduled for 2025. Host nation Morocco finds itself in a challenging group alongside Zambia, Senegal, and DR Congo, while defending champions South Africa will face Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania. Nigeria, aiming to reclaim their dominance, will battle Botswana, Tunisia, and Algeria.
CHAN 2024 Final Qualifiers
The final round of qualifiers for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) featured intense rivalries, including the much-anticipated “Jollof Derby” between Ghana and Nigeria. The tournament, set for January in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, promises to spotlight Africa’s domestic football talents.
Youth Football: Tanzania and South Africa Celebrate
The CAF African Schools Football Championship showcased the continent’s rising stars. Tanzania won the boys’ competition on home soil, while South Africa clinched the girls’ title after a thrilling penalty shootout victory against Morocco. The championship highlighted CAF’s commitment to nurturing grassroots talent.
Futsal and Beach Soccer Success
Morocco claimed their third consecutive CAF Futsal AFCON title with a commanding 5-1 win over Angola. On the beach soccer front, Senegal retained their CAF Beach Soccer AFCON title, defeating Mauritania 6-1 in the final. Both teams will represent Africa at the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025.
-CAF
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International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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