AFCON SCAN Group E: Desert Foxes eye the top, as war for remaining knockout phase tickets starts

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.

The penultimate group in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, Group E, is arguably the most balanced in the entire tournament, with one firm favourite and three teams capable of finishing in each of the three remaining positions: Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan.

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

ALGERIA

Area: 2,381,741 km2

Population: 47,400,000

Nickname: The Fennec (Desert) Foxes

AFCON appearance: 21st

Best result: Champions (1990, 2019)

FIFA ranking: 35

Head coach: Vladimir Petkovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Captain: Riyad Mahrez

The Algerians are unbeaten - excluding the two defeats on penalties - since June 10, and as such, are one of the greatest favourites to reach the final stages of the 2025 AFCON, while their ruthless performance in recent 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying games has just added to the impression of their power.

Out of the 28 players that the super-experienced tactician Vladimir Petkovic called up, as many as ten play in the top five European leagues. Ramy Bensebaini of Borussia Dortmund and Man City's Rayan Ait-Nouri will give the defensive stability to the team, while Mohamed Amoura of Wolfsburg will be the first in charge of goals.

And the last, but not (at all) least, the biggest weapon the Desert Foxes will have in Morocco - Riyad Mahrez.

The man who led Algeria to their second AFCON trophy six years ago will take on the leading role one more time, and once again, he'll do it with a captain's armband around his arm. At the same time, he'll be one of six players who participated in that Desert Foxes' glorious tournament, alongside Aissa Mandi, Youcef Atal, Ramy Bensebaini, Ismael Bennacer (Player of the Tournament in 2019), and Baghdad Bounedjah (the scorer of the winner in the 2019 AFCON final against Senegal).

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

In the qualifiers, the Desert Foxes dominated their group, which included Equatorial Guinea (again), Togo, and Liberia, winning five matches (excluding a goalless draw against the Guineans) and scoring 16 goals in six games.

Hence, their status in the group is clear - they are firm favourites to win it. Whether they can cope with that role remains to be seen.

BURKINA FASO

Area: 274,223 km2

Population: 22,489,126

Nickname: The Stallions

AFCON appearance: 14th

Best result: Runners-up (2013)

FIFA ranking: 62

Head coach: Brama Traore (Burkina Faso)

Captain: Bertrand Traore

In different circumstances, we would talk about Burkina Faso as a legitimate candidate to spoil Algeria's plans and claim the top in Group E. However, whether Brama Traore's men managed to mentally bounce back after their failure in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers remains questionable.

Namely, the Stallions had a ticket for the African playoffs in their pocket until the last seconds of Nigeria's duel against Benin, when Frank Onyeka's late goal for the Super Eagles eliminated them and dashed their hopes of reaching a World Cup for the first time in the country's history.

However, if they are psychologically prepared, they have a greater chance of advancing than Equatorial Guinea and Sudan. After all, the crew with Herve Koffi (Angers), Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen), Dango Outtara (Brentford), and the captain Bertrand Traore (Sunderland) mustn't be neglected.

In the end, who knows, perhaps the blow from a few months ago will serve as an additional confidence boost to the Stallions.

They had an easy job in the qualifiers. Even though Senegal dominated the group, Burkina Faso finished second, ahead of the minnows Burundi and Malawi.

The Burkinabe have reached the AFCON semifinals three times in the last decade and a half, and the gap between each of those successes has been four years. In 2013, they reached the final, in which they lost to Nigeria 1-0. Four years later, they were third, and in 2021, fourth.

Hence, the pattern is clear, and this AFCON could be another in which the Stallions could shoot for the stars, or yet, fall seriously short. It's all up to them and their mindset, and already their maiden match in the tournament against Equatorial Guinea (December 24, 15.30) could give many answers.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Area: 28,050 km2

Population: 1,795,834

Nickname: The National Thunder

AFCON appearance: 5th

Best result: Fourth place (2015)

FIFA ranking: 97

Head coach: Guillermo Ganet (Equatorial Guinea)

Captain: Emilio Nsue

Considering their form and the situation - better said, chaos - in their national team, Equatorial Guinea would likely be eliminated already in the group stage. Nevertheless, their Africa Cup of Nations legacy sends another message.

Starting with the bad news, the National Thunder went through a genuine scandal two months ago, when players refused to play a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Malawi due to dissatisfactory travel arrangements, while everything was followed by the players' ineligibility scandal, in the middle of which even the captain Emilio Nsue found himself once.

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

Consequently, the Equatoguinean Football Federation (FEGUIFOOT) sacked the head coach, Juan Micha, after five years on the national team's bench. As a result, the National Thunder will be led by a caretaker manager, Guillermo Ganet, whose qualities and experience are not well known to the general football public. At the same time, several players were written off from the squad.

However, there's still that legacy mentioned above. Even though Equatorial Guinea debuted at the continental tournament in 2012 and participated only four times so far, they advanced from the group stage every time!

Equatorial Guinea XI posing for a team photo ahead of the quarter-final match against Tunisia in the 2015 AFCON (©AFP)

They reached the quarter-finals twice (2012 and 2021) and the Round of 16 once, two years ago, while their biggest success remains the 2015 AFCON, where they finished fourth after losing to Ghana in the semis and DR Congo in the third-place playoff. Still, to this day, it remains the greatest achievement in Equatoguinean football history.

The squad doesn't promise much - a bunch of players from the Spanish lower leagues and a couple of key players, such as Saul Coco of Torino, Sparta Prague's Santiago Eneme, Monza's Pedro Obiang, Mallorca's Omar Mascarell, Iban Salvador of Wisla Plock, and, of course, the captain and the heart of this national team - Emilio Nsue.

To be fair, given all the circumstances, the expectations of this team cannot be high. Nevertheless, if we keep in mind Equatorial Guinea's transformation into one of the best teams on the mother continent during every AFCON, they must not be written off.

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

SUDAN

Area: 1,886,068 km2

Population: 50,467,278

Nickname: The Falcons of Jediane

AFCON appearance: 10th

Best result: Champions (1970)

FIFA ranking: 118

Head coach: James Kwesi Appiah (Ghana)

Captain: Ramadan Agab

One of the poorest countries in Africa hasn't always been a football minnow, but its glorious days are long gone. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Sudan won one title, two second places, and one third place, but after their 1970 AFCON triumph, their glory began to fade.

And it faded so much that there was a 32-year gap between their two appearances (1976 and 2008), though their situation in the 21st century is slightly better, as this will be their fourth participation.

Regarding the recent results, the quarter-final in 2012 was their biggest achievement. Two years ago, they failed to qualify, while in 2021, they were eliminated in the group stage, winning only one point.

Still, the arrival of the experienced Ghanaian tactician James Kwesi Appiah moved things in a positive direction, as the Falcons of Jedaine won second place in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers ahead of Niger and Ghana. In addition, their displays in the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers were surprisingly respectable, as Sudan finished third in a group that included Senegal and DR Congo, two African football powers, collecting 13 points.

Their roster is relatively unknown to football fans worldwide, as the majority of the players Appiah opted for play in the Sudan Premier League, while the rest play in Libya, Tunisia, Thailand, South Sudan, and Australia. The Falcons of Jedaine's only squad member playing in Europe is Sheddy Barglan, who represents the Dutch second-tier side Den Bosch.

Yet, Sudan showed they knew how to stun favourites and will undoubtedly give their best to spoil the rivals' plans.

MOZZART SPORT KENYA'S PREDICTION: Algeria advance as the table-toppers, Burkina Faso finish second, while Sudan grab the third spot and progress to the knockout phase after a fierce fight with Equatorial Guinea, which will be eliminated.