AFCON
Five lessons from World Cup qualifiers days 1 and 2
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The road to Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup for the African teams have been mapped out and the race has begun in earnest. Two match days have gone for 38 of the 40 teams as only Guinea and Morocco still have their matchday 2 fixture suspended owing to the political situation in Guinea.
Some teams have already surged forward in their respective groups and are set to consolidate on their leadership. One of such is the Super Eagles of Nigeria which have maximum points obtainable from the two fixtures gone.
From their two matches and some others that have direct relevance to their future fixtures, some lessons could be gleaned.
- Impossible is nothing: There were initial fears occasioned by Britain’s refusal to allow Premiership football players to travel to certain countries which included that of Nigeria’s matchday 2 opponents, Cape Verde. The direct consequent of that was that no fewer than 10 regulars were excused from playing against Cape Verde. Playing such a crucial match against a team that once ranked among Africa’s top 5 and was at brink of making it to Brazil 2014, was really worrisome. Nigeria had to field previously five uncapped players. To have come out victorious in such a delicate situation underscored the strength and resilence of the team. The lesson here is that determination and zeal are key to victory.
- No team is a push over: When the draw for the final competition of the Africa Cup of Nations was conducted, most Nigerians attention were primarily focussed on a potentially explosive encounter with Egypt. The secondary attention was on Sudan while debutants, Guinea Bissau only got passing attention as they were considered as merely making up the numbers. Guinea Bissau forced to play their home match against Guinea forced a 1-1 draw against one of the power houses of African football. Going away to Omdurman to play Sudan, the same team they will open their Group D Africa Cup of Nations, encounter with Cameroon next year, the hitherto unrated Guinea Bissau ran riots with goals, scoring four times against hosts, Sudan who needed added time to reduce their deficit to 4-2. This is an eye opener for the Super Eagles ahead of their 19 January 2022 Group D match with Guinea Bissau. Another lesson here is that no team can be under rated. Such should be the mindset next month in the back-to-back World Cup qualifying clash with Central African Republic.
- No team is invincible: Egypt may be the most successful team in the Africa Cup of Nations and therefore draw tremendous respect in the their fixtures. They are therefore logically considered as the main foes in Nigeria’s Group D next year. The Egyptians have been demystified in the two matchdays so far in the World Cup qualifiers leading to a change in the team’s technical crew. They struggled to a 1-0 win in their opening match in Cairo against Angola. They depended on the lottery of an early penalty kick to carry the day. They again needed an injury time goal to salvage a point in Gabon in the matchday two. If Angola and Gabon can box Egypt to the corner, the Super Eagles should aspire to do better.
- Maintaining winning mentality: If the Super Eagles can win their next fixtures, the back-to-back fixtures with Central African Republic, they will take a step higher than their performances in the last qualifying group for Russia 2018 as they will this time pick the group leadership, even with two matches to go. The only crucial match would then be the matchday 4 against Liberia in Monrovia as Nigeria’s last group match will be the home game with Cape Verde.
- Dividends of winning: If current winning mentality is maintained, the Super Eagles have a seven projected competitive matches up till the end of the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations on 19 January. If they go all the way to the final, that brings their match schedule to 11 matches. They therefore have ample number of matches to improve on their FIFA ranking as that will be used for seeding in the final qualifying stage. There will be 10 group leaders at the end of November. These teams will be grouped into five groups of two teams to play in home and away direct elimination. The five top teams will be seeded in March. Potentially, the top group leaders Nigeria stand to avoid will be Algeria (Group A); Tunisia Group B); either Cote d’Ivoire or Cameroon (Group C); Egypt (Group G); Senegal (Group H) or possibly Morocco in Group I.
The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) has kicked off a European promotional tour themed “Morocco, Land of Football” to boost the country’s visibility ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The roadshow, which began on June 16 and runs through June 23, is making stops in five key European cities: Madrid, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Milan.
According to a press release, the initiative is designed to enhance Morocco’s international profile through a blend of sports and cultural promotion, as the kingdom prepares to host the continent’s premier football tournament.
“Morocco is preparing to welcome Africa. Through this roadshow, we aim to tell a collective story of a country oriented towards the future, proud of its roots, and passionate about football,” said Achraf Fayda, Director General of ONMT.
The roadshow stems from a strategic partnership signed in April between the ONMT and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), with the shared goal of positioning Morocco as a leading global destination for both football and tourism by 2030.
At each stop, the tour is expected to engage over 100 travel agents, tour operators, media professionals, and African tourism experts. Participants are treated to immersive, multisensory experiences that highlight Morocco’s tourism offerings, while also facilitating networking with sports personalities.
The campaign targets travel professionals, sports industry stakeholders, and digital content creators as part of ONMT’s broader strategy to leverage AFCON 2025 for tourism development and international branding.
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The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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