Group D Team Profiles: AFCON 2024

Profile of Algeria team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record:

Previous appearances in finals: (19) 1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021.

Best performance: Winners 1990, 2019

Drawn in Group D with Angola, Burkina Faso, Mauritania.

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Coach: Djamel Belmadi

The 47-year-old French-born coach led Algeria to the Cup of Nations title in 2019 and on an unbeaten run of 31 games that ended at the last Cup of Nations finals when they suffered a shock defeat to tiny Equatorial Guinea in early 2022. His managerial career began at club level in Qatar and he took charge of their national team for a year, but was fired after Qatar finished bottom of the group at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia. As a player, he was a feisty midfielder on the books of Paris St Germain, Olympique de Marseille, Manchester City and Southampton and captained Algeria at the 2004 Cup of Nations finals.

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Key player: Riyad Mahrez. Age: 32. Winger

The 2016 African Footballer of the Year was born in Sarcelles, France, but his father hailed from Algeria and he was first invited to play for the north Africans at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He has since participated at the last four Cup of Nations finals, leading Algeria to the title in 2019. He was a significant contributor to Leicester City’s shock 2016 Premier League triumph and won more league titles with Manchester City before a move to Saudi Arabia last year.

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FIFA world ranking Dec 2023: 30

How they qualified: Top placed team in qualifying Group F, ahead of Tanzania, Uganda and Niger

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Oussama Benbot (USM Alger), Anthony Mandrea (Caen), Mustafa Zeghba (Damac)

Defenders: Rayan Ait Nouri (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Youcef Atal (Nice), Zineddine Belaid (USM Alger), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Guitoun (Metz), Yasser Larouci (Sheffield United), Aissa Mandi (Villarreal), Ahmed Touba (Lecce), Mohamed Tougai (Esperance)

Midfielders: Houssem Aouar (AS Roma), Ismael Bennacer (AC Milan), Nabil Bentaleb (Lille), Hicham Boudaoui (Nice), Fares Chaibi (Eintracht Frankfurt), Sofiane Feghouli (Fatih Karagumruk), Ramiz Zerrouki (Feyenoord Rotterdam)

Forwards: Mohamed Amoura (Union Saint-Gilloise), Youcef Belaili (Mouloudia Alger), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd), Amine Gouiri (Stade Rennais), Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli), Adam Ounas (Lille), Islam Slimani (Coritiba).

Profile of Angola team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record:

Previous appearances in finals: (8) 1996, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2019

Best performance: Quarter-finalists 2008, 2010

Drawn in Group D with Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

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Coach: Pedro Goncalves

The 47-year-old moved from coaching at the academy at Portuguese side Sporting to set up a similar project in Angola and from there was invited to take charge of Angola’s under-17 team. When he qualified them for the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil, he was then asked to take

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Key player: Show. Age: 24. Midfielder.

A debut for the national team at 18 marked out Manuel Luis Cafumana, better known as Show, as one to watch for Angola and he has not disappointed. A defensive midfielder with a phenomenal work rate and eye for an accurate pass, he moved to France with Lille while still a teenager. There, he took time to settle and was allowed to go to Portugal on loan at Boavista. A move to Ludogorets in 2021 was followed after two years by a transfer to Maccabi Haifa, with whom he was ever present in the Europa League group phase this season.

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FIFA world ranking Dec 2023: 117

How they qualified: Second placed team in Group E, behind Ghana but ahead of the Central African Republic and Madagascar.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Antonio Dominique (Etoile Carouge), Kadu (Oliveira Hospital), Neblu (Premiero Agosto)

Defenders: Eddie Afonso (Petro Atletico), Loide Augusto (Alanyaspor), Jonathan Buatu (Valenciennes), Tó Carneiro (Petro Atletico), Núrio Fortuna, (Gent), Kialonda Gaspar (Estrela Amadora), Kinito (Petro Atletico)

Midfielders: Beni (Casa Pia), Estrela (Erzurumspor), Fredy (Eyupspor), Keliano Manuel (Estrela Amadora), Bruno Paz (Konyaspor), Show (Maccabi Haifa)

Forwards: Jeremie Bela (Clermont, Foot), Gelson Dala (Al Wakrah), Gilberto (Petro Atletico), Zito Luvumbo (Cagliari), Mabululu (Al Ittihad), Milson (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Zine (AEK Athens).

Profile of Burkina Faso team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record:

Previous appearances in finals: (12) 1978, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021

Best performance: Runners-up 2013

Drawn in Group D with Algeria, Angola and Mauritania.

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Coach: Hubert Velud

The 64-year-old Frenchman was shot in the arm in an attack on the Togo team bus by separatists in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda on the eve of the 2010 Cup of Nations finals. He and the rest of the Togo side went home before the tournament started. Velud then qualified Sudan for the last finals in Cameroon but was fired weeks before the tournament's kickoff after a poor performance at the 2021 Arab Cup in Qatar. A former player at Stade de Reims, his coaching career has taken him to Algeria, Morocco, DR Congo and Tunisia.

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Key player: Edmond Tapsoba. Age: 24. Defender.

Despite his young age, Tapsoba is already in his fifth Bundesliga season at Bayer Leverkusen and is a regular this campaign as they have gone to the top of the standings. He was 17 when he made his debut for the national team and was an 18-million euro ($19.7 million) signing from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes while still a teenager. He was one of the stars of the last Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon, where the Burkinabe reached the semi-finals, with his aggressive tackling but also his ability to burst into attack from defence.

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FIFA world ranking Dec. 2023: 57

How they qualified: Top in Group B, ahead of the Cape Verde Islands, Togo and Eswatini.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Herve Koffi (Charleroi), Hilel Konate (Chateauroux), Kilian Nikiema (ADO Den Haag), Sebastien Tou (Sabadell)

Defenders: Issoufou Dayo (Renaissance Berkane), Nasser Djiga (Red Star Belgrade), Abdoul Razack Guiebre (Modena), Issa Kabore (Luton Town), Adamo Nagalo (Nordsjaelland), Valentin Nouma (FC St Eloi Lupopo), Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen), Steeve Yago (Aris Limassol)

Midfielders: Sacha Banse (Valenciennes), Adama Guira (Racing Rioja), Stephane Aziz Ky (Young Africans), Ismahila Ouedraogo (Panserraikos), Dramane Salou (Urartu), Gustavo Sangare (Quevilly-Rouen Metropole), Blati Toure (Pyramids)

Forwards: Cedric Badolo (Sheriff Tiraspol), Hassan Bande (HJK Helsinki), Mamady Bangre (Toulouse), Mohamed Konate (Akhmat Grozny), Djibril Ouattara (Renaissance Berkane), Dango Ouattara (Bournemouth), Abdoul Tapsoba (Amiens), Bertrand Traore (Aston Villa).

Profile of Mauritania team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record:

Previous appearances in finals: (2) 2019, 2021

Best performance: Group phase

Drawn in Group D with Algeria, Angola and Burkina Faso

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Coach: Amir Abdou

The 51-year-old social worker from Marseille was asked to assist the Comoros side in 2014 but suddenly thrust into the head coach role when the intended appointee did not take up the post. He then created a Comoros team from the large diaspora in France and took the small island nation’s team to unimaginable heights, culminating in a debut Cup of Nations finals appearance two years ago when they upset Ghana.

After that he took over as Mauritania’s coach and returns for a second successive tournament. Abdou first began coaching in French amateur football.

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Key player: Aboubakary Koita. Age: 25. Forward.

Koita was hoping for a call-up from Senegal, where he was born, but with stiff competition for places he was persuaded to play for Mauritania, where his mother was born. He made his debut in November in World Cup qualifiers. He could have also played for Mali where his father was born, or Belgium, where he was brought up. His 11 goals for St Truiden this season put him among the top five scorers in the Belgian league and his addition to the squad is a major boost for Mauritania, without too many players competing at top flight level in Europe.

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FIFA world ranking Dec 2023: 105

How they qualified: Second placed team in Group I, behind the Democratic Republic of Congo but ahead of Gabon and Sudan.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Namori Diaw (Tevragh Zeina), Babacar Niasse (En Avant Guingamp), Mbacké N'Diaye (Nouakchott Kings)

Defenders: Aly Abeid (UTA Arad), Lamine Ba (NK Varazdin), Khadim Diaw (Al Hilal), Nouh Mohamed El Abd (FC Nouadhibou), El Hassen Houeibib (Al Zawraa), Ibrahima Keita (TP Mazembe), Bakary Ndiaye (Al Quwa Al Jawiya), Mohamed Dellah Yali (Al Hedod)

Midfielders: El Hadji Ba, Mouhsine Bodda (both FC Nouadhibou), Bakari Camara (Villefranche-Beaujolais), Sidi Ahmed Mohamed El Abd (Nouakchott Kings), Guessouma Fofana (Doxa Katokopias), Omare Gassama (Chateauroux), Yassin El Welly (US Monastir), Oumar Ngom (Pau)

Forwards: Souleymane Anne (KMSK Deinze), Pape Ibnou Ba (Concarneau), Amar Sidi Bouna (FC Nouadhibou), Souleymane Doukara (Magusa Turk Gucu), Aboubakar Kamara (Al Jazira), Aboubakaray Koita (St Truiden), Hemeya Tanji (Ai Ittihad Tripoli), Idrissa Thiam (Al Mesaimeer).