The last two Africa Cup of Nations winners, Senegal (2021) and Ivory Coast (2023), will begin their qualification campaigns for the 2025 edition on a busy Friday which will see 10 fixtures played across the continent.
Senegal will open their Group L fixtures at home to fellow West Africans Burkina Faso in Dakar in a 9pm CAT kick-off, while Ivory Coast will be at home to Zambia at the same time in a Group G match in Bouake.
Teranga Lions coach Aliou Cisse has included 19-year-old El Hadji Malick Diouf in the squad for the first time, noting that the promising Slavia Prague player will have the chance to integrate into the team.
“We are looking to strengthen on the wings and on the left side, we have Ismail Jakobs and Ismaila Sarr was able to play in this sector and was effective. But having a boy like Diouf... He has a good pedigree and he's only 19 years old,” said Cisse.
“Bringing him in very early so that he can immerse himself in the group and the realities of the selection is very, very good. There is a new generation that is arriving, I really have hope for Senegalese football.”
Friday opens in Kampala with an afternoon (3pm CAT kick-off) clash between Kenya (who are playing in Uganda due to a lack of CAF-approved venues in their country) and Zimbabwe, while a quartet of early-evening clashes (6pm CAT kick-off) is headlined by South Africa tackling Uganda in Soweto.
Goalkeeper Veli Mothwa and midfielder Jayden Adams urging supporters to come out in numbers for the @BafanaBafana Vs @UgandaCranes game on Friday evening at Orlando Stadium #AFCON2025Q pic.twitter.com/jOP8ZDVcMc
— AFCON 2025 (@DiskiAfrika) September 5, 2024
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will have to do without captain and first-choice goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who is recovering from an injury.
“If you have a guy like Ronwen who will not be with us in the two games, that is a big problem. He is not just a good goalkeeper, he is also a good captain,” said the Belgian.
The evening matches will also feature North African heavyweights Morocco (hosts of the 2025 tournament and already qualified) and Egypt, playing at home to Gabon in Group B and Cape Verde in Group C respectively, while Mozambique’s Mambas face a testing Group I game away to Mali in Bamako.
“We need to do our homework, work together, focus on our first game in September against Mali, work hard, and create synergies to have a good game,” said Mozambique coach Chiquinho Conde.
“For our team, if we can't win, we must not lose – that's our motto. We must humbly respect our opponents and take it game by game.”
AFCON QUALIFIERS FIXTURES, FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER
(Times CAT)
3pm: Kenya v Zimbabwe
6pm: DR Congo v Guinea
6pm: Sierra Leone v Chad
6pm: South Africa v Uganda
6pm: Togo v Liberia
8pm: Morocco v Gabon
9pm: Egypt v Cape Verde
9pm: Ivory Coast v Zambia
9pm: Mali v Mozambique
21:00: Senegal v Burkina Faso