Profile of the Democratic Republic of Congo team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations record:
Previous appearances in finals: (19) 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019
Best performance: Winners 1968, 1974
Drawn in Group F with Morocco, Tanzania and Zambia.
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Coach: Sebastien Desabre
The 47-year-old Frenchman has had a journeyman career around Africa, starting in 2010 with Ivorian club ASEC Abidjan and since working in Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Uganda, which was his only other post as national team coach. In Africa he has won league titles in Angola, Cameroon and Tunisia. He had no playing or coaching career at a professional level in France but like many of his compatriots has been able to find opportunities in African Football.
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Key player: Cedric Bakambu. Age: 32. Forward.
The 32-year-old is Paris-born but began his career at Sochaux, while also playing for France at uner-20 level. His career has been largely nomadic since but he left good impressions during his spells with Villarreal, Olympique de Marseille and Greek champions Olympiakos. He has been at Galatasaray since the start of the season. In 2015, he switched international allegiance to the country where his parents hailed from and has competed at both the 2017 and 2019 Cup of Nations finals with the Leopards.
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FIFA world ranking Dec 2023: 67
How they qualified: Top placed team in Group I, ahead of Mauritania, Gabon and Sudan.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Dimitri Bertaud (Montpellier), Lionel Mpasi (Rodez), Baggio Siadi (TP Mazembe)
Defenders: Dylan Batubinsika (St Etienne), Brian Bayeye (Ascoli), Rocky Bushiri (Hibernians), Henock Inonga (Simba, Tanzanie), Gedeon Kalulu (Lorient), Joris Kayembe (Racing Genk), Arthur Masuaku (Besiktas), Chancel Mbemba (Marseille)
Midfielders: Theo Bongonda (Spartak Moscow), Grady Diangana (West Bromwich Albion), Gael Kakuta (Amiens), Edo Kayembe (Watford), Samuel Moutousamy (Nantes), Charles Pickel (Cremonese), Aaron Tshibola (Al Hatta)
Forwards: Simon Banza (Sporting Braga), Cedric Bakambu (Galatasaray), Meschack Elia (Young Boys Berne), Silas Katompa (VfB Stuttgart), Fiston Mayele (Pyramids), Yoane Wissa (Brentford).
Profile of Morocco team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations record:
Previous appearances in finals: (18) 1972, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021
Best performance: Winners 1976
Drawn in Group F with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia
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Coach: Walid Regragui
Not long after he had won the 2022 African Champions League with Wydad Casablanca, the French-born former Morocco fullback was asked to take over the Morocco team some six months before the World Cup in Qatar. There, he steered Morocco to the semi-final, a first for both an African and Arab country, and making them the favourites for the Cup of Nations title in the Ivory Coast. The 48-year-old played in both Ligue 1 and LaLiga, at Racing Santander, and with Morocco was in the team that lost the 2004 final to hosts Tunisia.
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Key player: Achraf Hakimi. Age: 25. Defender.
Still relatively young, the Spanish-born Hakimi has already paid in four major league and racked up over 100-million euros in transfer frees. He came through the ranks at Real Madrid but made his name out on loan at Borussia Dortmund before a 43-million euro move to Inter Milan and then a 60-million euro transfer to Paris St Germain two years ago. He was just 17 when he debuted for Morocco and quickly made the left back berth his own, competing at the last two World Cups and previous two editions of the Cup of Nations finals.
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FIFA world ranking December 2023: 13
How they qualified: Top place team in Group K, ahead of South Africa and Liberia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: El Mehdi Benabid (Royal Armed Forces), Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal), Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda),
Defenders: Yunis Abdelhamid (Stade Reims), Abdelkabir Abqar (Deportivo Alaves), Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United), Yahya Attiat-Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Mohamed Chibi (Pyramids), Achraf Hakimi (Paris St Germain), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Chadi Riad (Real Betis), Romain Saiss (Al Shabab)
Midfielders: Selim Amallah (Valencia), Sofyan Amrabat (Manchester United), Oussama El Azzouzi (Bologna), Bilal El Khannouss (Racing Genk), Azzedine Ounahi (Olympique de Marseille), Amir Richardson (Stade Reims)
Forwards: Amine Adli (Bayer Leverkusen), Sofiane Boufal (Al Rayyan), Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiakos), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real Betis), Amine Harit (Olympique de Marseille), Ismael Saibari (PSV Eindhoven), Tarik Tissoudali (Gent), Hakim Ziyech (Galatasaray).
Profile of Tanzania team for 2023 African Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations record:
Previous appearances in finals: (2) 1980, 2019
Best performance: Group Phase
Drawn in Group F with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco and Zambia.
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Coach: Adel Amrouche
Algerian-born but from Belgium, Amrouche has had previous stints as coach of six national teams in Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Kenya, Libya, Botswana and Yemen, before being appointed to the Tanzania job in March. This will the first trip to the Cup of Nations finals for the 55-year-old, who moved to Belgium in 1994 and worked at Union Saint Gilloise as technical director. His first coaching job was with Kinshasa giants Daring Club Motema Pembe and he also had brief spells coaching in Ukraine and Azerbaijan.
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Key player: Mbwana Samatta. Age: 31. Forward.
Samatta’s tally of 23 goals was a major factor as Racing Genk won the league title in Belgium in 2019 and for the captain of the Tanzanian national team the 'Ebony Boot', handed out annually to the best African in the Belgian league. Samatta has already won the Confederation of African Football's award for the best African-based footballer, achieved in 2016 after helping TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo win the Champions League. His exploits at Genk earned him a move to Aston Villa but he stayed only eights months before moving to Fenerbahce.
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FIFA world ranking December 2023: 121
How they qualified: Second placed team in Group F, behind Algeria but ahead of Uganda and Niger.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Beno Kakolanya (Singida Fountain Gate), Kwesi Kawawa (Karlslund), Aishi Manula (Simba)
Defenders: Abdi Banda (Richards Bay), Ibrahim Hamad (Young Africans), Mohamed Hussein (Simba), Dickson Job (Young Africans), Haji Mnoga (Aldershot Town), Lusajo Mwaikenda (Azam), Bakari Mwamnyeto (Young Africans), Novatus Miroshi (Shaktar Donetsk), Miano van den Bos (Villena), Abdulmalik Zakaria (Namungo)
Midfielders: Morice Abraham (Spartak Subotica), Tarryn Allarakhia (Wealdstone), Sospeter Bajana (Azam), Kibu Denis (Simba), Himid Mao (Tala’ea El Geish), Mohammed Sagaf (Boreham Wood), Feisal Salum (Azam), Mudathiri Yahya (Young Africans), Mzamiru Yassin (Simba)
Forwards: Cyprian Kachwele (Vancouver Whitecaps), Charles M’mombwa (Macarthur), Simon Msuva (JS Kabylie), Mbwana Samatta (PAOK Salonika), Ben Starkie (Ikestown Town).
Profile of Zambia team for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations record:
Previous appearances in finals: (17) 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015
Best performance: Winners 2012
Drawn in Group F with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco and Tanzania.
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Coach: Avram Grant
The former Chelsea manager has been to two previous Cup of Nations finals with Ghana in 2015 and 2017. He was appointed Ghana’s coach just a few weeks before the 2015 edition and celebrated his 60th birthday at the tournament by taking the side to the final, where they narrowly lost on penalties to the Ivory Coast. He quit after Ghana reached the semi-finals in 2017 but has returned to African football with Zambia. Grant, now 68, had four years as coach of his native Israel’s national team before moving to Chelsea, where his side lost on penalties to Manchester United in the 2008 Champions League final.
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Key player: Patson Daka. Age: 25. Forward.
It has not been a satisfying season for Daka despite Leicester City leading England's second-tier Championship but after missing much of the campaign, he has broken back into the line-up and scored four league goals in December. He had also netted three times for Zambia in their World Cup qualifiers against Congo and Niger and looks to be back in form at the right time. Daka was a prominent member of the Zambia side that won the African under-20 title in 2017 by which time he had already been signed by Salzburg.
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FIFA world ranking Dec. 2023: 84
How they qualified: Top place team in Group H, ahead of the Ivory Coast, Comoros Islands and Lesotho.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Lawrence Mulenga (Power Dynamos), Francis Mwansa (Green Buffaloes), Toaster Nsabata (Zesco United)
Defenders: Dominic Chanda (Power Dynamos), Benedict Chepeshi (Red Arrows), Roderick Kabwe (Zakho), Gift Mphande (Hapoel Rishon Lezion), Frankie Musonda (Ayr United), Tandi Mwape (TP Mazembe), Zephaniah Phiri (Prison Leopards), Stoppila Sunzu (Jinan Xingzhou)
Midfielders: Emmanuel Banda (HNK Rijeka), Rally Bwalya (Sekhukhune United), Miguel Chaiwa (Young Boys Berne), Clatous Chama (Simba), Edward Chilufya (Hacken), Kings Kangwa (Red Star Belgrade), Kelvin Kampamba(Zesco United), Kelvin Kapumbu (Zanaco), Golden Mafwenta (MFK Vyskov), Frederick Mulambia (Power Dynamos), Lubambo Musonda (Silkeborg), Benson Sakala (Mlada Boleslav)
Forwards: Lameck Banda (Lecce), Patson Daka (Leicester City), Kennedy Musonda (Young Africans), Fashion Sakala (Al Fayha).