AFCON 2025: Ivory Coast and Cameroon eye early glory
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Reading Time: 4min | Wed. 24.12.25. | 09:41
Mozambique will be making their sixth appearance at the AFCON and are aiming to advance beyond the group stage for the first time
The highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations AFCON 2025 Group F matches get underway today, Wednesday 24 December, with two fixtures on the schedule as the Ivory Coast begin their title defence against Mozambique, while Cameroon face Gabon.
The continental tournament kicked off on Sunday, 21 December and has already seen four groups in action, paving the way for the Group E and F encounters.
Group F features defending champions Ivory Coast, five time winners Cameroon, dark horses Gabon and Mozambique, making it widely regarded as the tournament’s group of death.
Ivory Coast vs Mozambique
Ivory Coast is the reigning champion following their historic triumph at the 2023 edition held on home soil.
In their quest to retain the title, The Elephants take on Mozambique in a match scheduled to kick off at 2030 hours at the Stade de Marrakech.
Ivory Coast head into the encounter as clear favourites due to their vast experience and depth of quality compared to their opponents.
The West Africans will however, be keen to avoid a repeat of their shaky start at the 2023 tournament, where, despite eventually lifting the trophy, they lost two group matches, including a 4 0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea, which led to the dismissal of head coach Jean Louis Gasset.
Emerse Fae was subsequently thrust into the role midway through the tournament, making his debut as a first-team manager and remarkably guiding the team to continental glory.
Now with nearly three years of experience at the helm, the 41-year-old tactician will once again rely on a squad brimming with top-level talent.
Nearly half of the Ivory Coast’s AFCON squad plays in Europe’s top five leagues. Among them are English Premier League-based players Amad Diallo of Manchester United, Simon Adingra, Evan Guessand, Willy Boly, Emmanuel Agbadou, and Ibrahim Sangare, alongside others competing in elite European leagues.
Fae will howeve,r have to cope with the absence of former Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller who was ruled out of the tournament days before kickoff due to a hamstring injury.
“Everyone is ready and prepared for the match. We know the task ahead and the expectations, and we are going to do our best in the tournament starting with the Mozambique match,” said Fae.
The former international midfielder has also made his intentions clear ahead of the biennial competition.
“We are going to Morocco to be strong. We have a very close-knit group. The players are ready and share the same objective as the technical staff. They are motivated to win the AFCON and bring back the fourth star.
We are going to win. There is no additional pressure. We will fight and give everything to go as far as possible,” he added.
Mozambique will be making their sixth appearance at the AFCON and are aiming to advance beyond the group stage for the first time after falling short in their previous five outings.
With most of their squad drawn from local clubs and a handful from Portugal, The Mambas will look to the experience of Atletico Madrid defender Reinildo Mandava, the only member of the team plying his trade in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Cameroon vs Gabon
Five-time champions Cameroon face Gabon later in the day at the 45,000 capacity Stade Adrar in Agadir with kickoff set for 2300 hours.
The 2017 champions are making their 22nd appearance at the AFCON and are the second most successful nation in the competition’s history behind Egypt who have won the title seven times.
Following the omission of Vincent Aboubakar and Andre Onana, head coach David Pagou handed the captain’s armband to Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo who will be tasked with leading a united dressing room amid the off field drama that preceded the tournament.
Speaking at his pre match press conference, Pagou struck a confident tone.
“I stand as an AFCON soldier for Cameroon. I am not afraid of any team because I am fighting for my country. Our mission is clear: to bring the trophy back home.
My players are my soldiers, and I have given them everything they need to overcome any team we face,” said Pagou.
Gabon will draw encouragement from their past AFCON meetings with Cameroon, having avoided defeat in their two previous encounters at the finals, including a 1 0 win in the opening match of the 2010 tournament.
However, they will have to contend with the absence of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who is sidelined with a muscle injury.
A victory for either side would provide a vital early boost and significantly enhance their chances of progressing from the group of death.
