AFCON SCAN Group D: Lions of Teranga, Leopards, and Cheetahs stalk poor Zebras

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is fast approaching, and as is the norm, Mozzart Sport Kenya will bring you a preview of all the groups and introduce all the participating nations, focusing on their records, crucial assets, key players, and odds of achieving a notable result.

Group D at the upcoming AFCON is likely the second strongest and one of two "groups of death," as Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, and Botswana will face off in it. The Lions of Teranga are the continental giants, the Leopards are close to becoming ones, Benin could be the potential dark horses, while Botswana's chances are minimal.

Still, let's not jump to conclusions, but see how things unfold, as AFCONs have often brought us some major surprises.

AFCON SCAN Group A: Hosts and top contenders face eternal losers, ex-champs, and minnows

SENEGAL

Area: 196,722 km2

Population: 18,847,519

Nickname: The Lions of Teranga

AFCON appearance: 18th

Best result: Champions (2021)

FIFA ranking: 19

Head coach: Pape Thiaw (Senegal)

Captain: Kalidou Koulibaly

The second-best-ranked African national team (after Morocco) can by no means be overlooked as one of the favourites. And when that team has players like Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, Pape Matar Sarr, Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson, and Iliman Ndiaye, only someone who knows nothing of football would bet against them.

Senegal's Everton stars, Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye (©Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Until the current generation emerged, the beginning of the century was considered a "golden age" of the Senegal national team. After all, in 2002, the Lions of Teranga became only the second African crew to reach the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals (after Cameroon did it in 1990) and were the AFCON runners-up, losing in the final to the Indomitable Lions on penalties.

However, Mane and Co. lifted the Senegalese football to a whole new level, winning the country's maiden Africa Cup of Nations four years ago. A number of players from that squad are expected to represent the westernmost African country in Morocco as well, and that's already a good sign regarding Pape Thiaw's crew's ambitions.

AFCON SCAN Group B: Clash of two titans and fierce fight for third place

Senegal easily qualified for the 2025 AFCON, recording five wins and a draw in a group with Burkina Faso, Burundi, and Malawi, while their performance in the recently finished World Cup qualifiers - in which they also faced DR Congo - was as crushing: seven triumphs and three draws, and again, the top of the group.

In the last four appearances in the continental tournament, the Lions of Teranga advanced to the knockout phase, and any other outcome in Morocco would have been a massive shock.

DR CONGO

Area: 2,345,409 km2

Population: 114,388,160

Nickname: The Leopards

AFCON appearance: 21st

Best result: Champions (1968, 1974)

FIFA ranking: 56

Head coach: Sebastien Desabre (France)

Captain: Chancel Mbemba

First and foremost, the Leopards will undoubtedly be in the trickiest situation of all the AFCON participants - at least psychologically. On the one hand, they certainly have a chance of doing something big in Morocco, given the quality of their roster. However, on the other hand, their minds must - at least partially - be focused on the FIFA World Cup inter-confederation playoffs scheduled for the end of March.

Yet, the Congolese form and confidence are promising. After all, the Leopards qualified for the playoffs, finishing behind the aforementioned Senegal, and then brushed aside the giants Cameroon and Nigeria to earn a place among the six teams from all over the world (except Europe), fighting for two remaining spots.

In March, a clash against Jamaica in Mexico will likely be the decisive one - the one that could secure them a return to the World Cup after 52 years.

Still, their first station is Morocco. Considering their triumphs against the Indomitable Lions and the Super Eagles, there's no reason to think Chancel Mbemba and Co. cannot go all the way to the end and - why not? - even win the tournament for the third time in the country's history.

Truth be told, their two titles came a long time ago, in 1968 and 1974, under the name Zaire. In recent history, their best results were third place in 2015 and fourth place two years ago. At the same time, their 2023 success is a decent confidence boost, as the majority of that squad remains intact, while some renowned names have further enhanced the crew's quality. By that, we're primarily referring to the Premier League stars: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham), Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley), and Noah Sadiki (Sunderland).

DR Congo leave it to Chance(l) and come close to making history

Apart from the three, the captain, Mbemba - the hero of DR Congo's World Cup qualifiers - and Newcastle's ruthless striker, Yoane Wissa, are the biggest strengths of Sebastian Desabre's team.

In the AFCON qualifiers, they topped the group ahead of Tanzania, Guinea, and Ethiopia with four wins and two defeats.

BENIN

Area: 114,763 km2

Population: 13,754,688

Nickname: The Cheetahs

AFCON appearance: 5th

Best result: Quarter-finals (2019)

FIFA ranking: 92

Head coach: Gernot Rohr (Germany)

Captain: Steve Mounie

How can a country with only four participations at the Africa Cup of Nations be a potential dark horse? Believe us, it can.

Benin have never been a football force on the mother continent, and their reaching the quarter-finals six years ago was an utmost sensation. And despite a very tough group, this Cheetahs' generation could at least replicate that success.

Their AFCON qualifying campaign was mediocre. After all, they booked their seats on the plane to Morocco ahead of Rwanda, simply because of the better goal difference, while Nigeria topped the group and Libya hit the bottom.

Either way, the recent World Cup qualifiers have shown Benin's true strength. Gernot Rohr's men were in contention for the top of their group until the last round, when the crushing 4-0 defeat to the Super Eagles cost them one of the leading two spots. Still, the fierce fight they put up against the continental giants, such as South Africa and Nigeria, deserved respect.

Their highly experienced 72-year-old head coach, Rohr, has led numerous African teams, including Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, and has even participated in the 2018 World Cup with the Super Eagles. The German knows how to play for the results - sometimes to win and sometimes to salvage a positive outcome - and it could be Benin's edge at AFCON.

The Cheetahs' current squad is probably the best they've ever had. The vast majority of their team plays abroad, while the captain, Steve Mounie and St. Pauli's goalscorer, Andreas Hountondji, are its most powerful weapons.

In the end, Benin may not grab one of the top two spots in the group, but their third position and progression to the knockout phase shouldn't be in question.

BOTSWANA

Area: 581,730 km2

Population: 2,359,609

Nickname: The Zebras

AFCON appearance: 2nd

Best result: Group stage (2012)

FIFA ranking: 138

Head coach: Morena Ramoreboli (South Africa)

Captain: Thatayaone Ditlhokwe

The lowest-ranked team in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations according to FIFA ranking, a team with only one participation in the continental tournament, and with just two scored goals in it - Botswana.

All this, as well as the strength of their group rivals, labels them as the minnows and absolute underdogs. To be fair, the fact that they even qualified ahead of Mauritania and Cape Verde - which were apparently far from today's level - is a fantastic success for the Zebras.

Back in 2012 - in their first AFCON appearance - they lost all three group stage clashes to Ghana (1-0), Guinea (6-1), and Mali (2-1), and now they'll have a chance to win their maiden points, though it will be an extremely tough challenge.

The Zebras' form has also been poor lately, as they have been winless since March, when they beat the sorry Somalia 2-0. In the last four games they played in the World Cup qualifiers - which they finished in the penultimate spot in the group, just ahead of the mentioned Ocean Stars - they won only a single point.

AFCON SCAN Group C: Two flights of Eagles and two of Kenya's neighbours

On top of everything, Botswana's squad seriously lacks some notable names, as about 80% of their players represent their domestic clubs. The others play in Libya, Algeria, Morocco...

Hence, the Zebras' primary goal should probably be avoiding humiliation and aiming at honourable defeats, while any point won would be a huge bonus.

MOZZART SPOT KENYA'S PREDICTION: Senegal advance as the table-toppers, DR Congo follow them, Benin progress as one of the best third-placed teams, while Botswana end the competition in the group stage without points.