International Football
African Football on the Global Stage in 2024
Morocco at the Olympics
African teams and athletes showcased their talents on the world stage in 2024, achieving significant milestones across various global competitions.
At the Paris Olympics, Morocco’s men’s football team earned a historic bronze medal, defeating Egypt 6-0 in the third-place match. The result marked Africa’s first Olympic football medal since Nigeria’s triumph in 1996, with Soufiane Rahimi emerging as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals. In women’s football, despite early exits for Nigeria and Zambia, Zambia’s Barbra Banda etched her name in the history books with a stunning hat-trick against Australia, becoming the first player ever to score three hat-tricks in Olympic history.
At the FIFA Junior World Cups, African teams displayed their potential.
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, led by 16-year-old sensation Shakirat Moshood.
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s Naomi Eto shone at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, scoring four goals in four matches. Kenya’s U-17 women’s team achieved a historic milestone with their first-ever FIFA tournament victory, defeating Mexico 2-1.
Beach Soccer
Africa’s representation at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai and the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan faced hurdles, with Senegal, Egypt, Angola, and Libya unable to progress past the group stages.
Despite the glitch, this year demonstrated the potential of African teams to compete and excel on the global stage, reflecting the continent’s rich talent and relentless determination to make a mark on world football.
Individual Honours at CAF Awards
The CAF Awards 2024 celebrated Africa’s finest talents. Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman was named Men’s Player of the Year, while Zambia’s Barbra Banda took the women’s accolade. South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams emerged as a double winner, claiming both the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year and Interclub Player of the Year awards. Emerse Fae was honoured as Men’s Coach of the Year for leading Côte d’Ivoire to AFCON glory.
Morocco and Angola Lead Rankings
Morocco ended the year as Africa’s top-ranked team in the FIFA rankings, despite a slight global drop to 14th. Angola, however, stole the spotlight with a meteoric rise of 32 places, reflecting their strong performances in 2024.
CAF 2024: A Year of Excellence
From Côte d’Ivoire’s AFCON triumph to Al Ahly’s dominance in club football and emerging youth talents, 2024 was a banner year for African football.
With the upcoming 2025 AFCON in Morocco and CHAN 2024, the stage is set for even greater moments in African football.
-CAF
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Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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