Follow all of The Athletic’s AFCON coverage here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/tag/afcon-2025/
Welcome to The Radar — the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations edition.
For every major tournament, we build a scouting guide highlighting the players to watch, and, for this winter’s edition of AFCON — which will be held in Morocco between December 21 and January 18 — we have put a few rules in place:
- There is at least one player from each of the 24 teams competing at this edition of AFCON
- In the spirit of scouting future talent, we have picked players aged under 25, with a handful of exceptions due to the make-up of certain squads
- We have not included players at clubs from the Premier League’s ‘Big Six‘, or other major European teams, although several names will be familiar to followers of the Champions League and England’s top-flight.
There is a bespoke data visualisation or tactical GIF for every player, with all data correct as of Friday, December 19.
Just click to expand and collapse each card, and you can use the filters to sort players by their nationality, club, group or position. They are handily arranged in group order to make it easier for you to get the lowdown on the players who pose an immediate threat to the nation you are supporting this summer.
These are players we think are worth keeping an eye on during the next few weeks, and as always, it’s been a huge undertaking from our fantastic team of writers, data experts, editors, designers and engineers, so a big thank you to everyone involved, including Mark Carey, Conor O’Neill, Thom Harris, Jay Harris, Ahmed Walid, Liam Tharme, Seb Stafford-Bloor, Marc Mazzoni and Eamonn Dalton.
Enjoy…
Nation Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Cameroon Comoros DR Congo Egypt Equatorial Guinea Gabon Ivory Coast Mali Morocco Mozambique Nigeria Senegal South Africa Sudan Tanzania Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Club Al Ahly Al Jazira Al-Ahli Tripoli Bayer Leverkusen Besiktas Blackburn Brentford Brest Brighton Casa Pia Club Brugge Eintracht Frankfurt Frosinone Hearts Jwaneng Galaxy Lecce Monaco Motherwell Orlando Pirates Osasuna PSV RB Leipzig Real Betis Real Oviedo Sporting CP St Pauli Sunderland Torino Vipers West Ham Wolfsburg Young Africans ZED FC
Group Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F
Position Attacking midfielder Central Midfielder Central midfielder Centre-back Defensive midfielder Forward Full-back Winger
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Group A
At the heart of Comoros’ midfield lies a talent born in Dunkirk.
Mohamed was eligible to represent France through his mother, but chose Comoros, making his debut with the national team aged 20.
Mohamed started his career playing for Fort-Mardyck before joining local club USL Dunkerque. He trialed for several professional clubs, joining Lille’s academy, but after two years, he returned to Dunkerque, where he was scouted by Auxerre.
The Comoros midfielder regards Auxerre as the club who developed him as a professional player, but his contract meant that he would be loaned out when they were promoted to Ligue 1 in 2022.
Mohamed chose another path by signing a three-year contract with Caen, but by the January transfer window, he asked to be loaned out due to a lack of playing time.
He felt that he needed stability and Pau’s interest in him led to a move south to the Ligue 2 side in the summer of 2023.
“I have only wanted one thing from the start: to express myself on the field,” Mohamed told Onze Mondial magazine in December 2024. “That’s what’s happening right now. I feel good. It’s a family club. It’s where I needed to be. And I’m in the right place.”
However, a knee injury in the second match of the season — coincidentally against his former club Caen — forced him out of action for seven months. He managed to return to form, though, in the latter months of 2023-24.
Mohamed’s impressive performances with Pau in the first half of the following campaign earned him a mid-season move to Casa Pia in the Portuguese top flight.
Off the pitch, he is a quiet person who enjoys spending time with family and friends. That characteristic is also a part of his game, helping him evade opponents in midfield.
As a holding midfielder, Mohamed has the ability to receive possession under pressure, use his body to shield the ball and dribble in tight spaces.
Progressive passes that break the lines and long-range diagonals with his left foot are his standout assets.
There’s room for improvement in his performances, especially his defensive positioning, awareness and the timing of his defensive actions.
In Comoros’ first AFCON match against Gabon in January 2022, a young Mohamed started in a historic fixture for his nation. This year, he will be hoping to guide them to the knockout stage once again.
Ahmed Walid
Photo:
Maciej Rogowski/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Comoros
Casa Pia
Group A
Central midfielder
Full player profile
Only five players have ever featured for teams in each of the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1, while fewer still — Stefan Jovetic and Justin Kluivert — have scored in all five. Mali’s El Bilal Toure is still just 23, but only needs a move to the English top flight for a chance to complete the set.
Though it’s made for an eventful few years, Toure’s constant relocation tells the story of a striker who has struggled to settle, knocked back by a serious thigh injury he picked up towards the end of his time with Almeria in Spain. That was arguably his most successful spell, scoring seven times, including a thumping finish off the underside of the crossbar against Barcelona, to tempt Italian side Atalanta into a €30 million bid.
Toure only managed 400 minutes in Serie A before he was sent on loan to Stuttgart, where a broken metatarsal limited him to just three Bundesliga starts. Thankfully, the centre-forward is now stringing together some form at Besiktas in Turkey, completing 90 minutes in each of his last six games, and recently scoring in back-to-back league gameweeks for the first time in over two years.
In full flow, Toure is difficult to stop, a bulky centre-forward with a sharp turn of pace and a genuine appetite for goals. He’s capable of leading the counter-charge, happy to stomp in behind and hold off defenders on his way to goal, while his imposing frame allows him to compete for crosses against set defences, with a handful of impressive headed goals to his name.
As we can see from his off-ball running profile below, most of Toure’s movements are aimed towards goal, a presence in the penalty area who will scrap for knockdowns and loose balls.
All of this can only be good news for Mali who have lacked a focal point in his absence, rotating midfielder Kamory Doumbia and winger Lassine Sinayoko in and out of the No 9 role.
After two difficult injury-hit seasons, Toure will be desperate to prove himself once more.
Thom Harris
Photo:
Ahmad Mora/Getty Images
Mali
Besiktas
Group A
Forward
Full player profile
Eliesse Ben Seghir signed for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen from Monaco on the 31st August this year. A day later his manager was sacked.
Ben Seghir has struggled for minutes in the aftermath of Erik ten Hag’s short-lived, turbulent spell in charge, playing fewer than 200 league minutes as Leverkusen have turned to established options to stabilise their campaign.
“Eli will get his chance, he’s a great player,” said head coach Kasper Hjulmand at the start of December. Three years ago, Seghir started his senior football career in spectacular style, scoring a brace on his Ligue 1 debut for Monaco against Auxerre, aged just 17 years and 252 days, and continued to sparkle during his three seasons there.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has explained that Ben Seghir’s profile points to a longer bedding-in period before these qualities are seen in Germany.
“With a combination player like Eliesse, you depend more on the team’s play. Creative moments rely on mutual understanding — and that takes time”.
Rolfes is right that Ben Seghir’s game is built around quick, intricate combinations rather than raw explosiveness. His playstyle wheel blow reflects that balance, marking him out as an attacking all-rounder rather than a specialist.
At Monaco, he operated as a right-footed, left-sided attacking midfielder and dovetailed seamlessly with the similarly highly rated Maghnes Akliouche on the opposite flank. Both thrived by drifting into pockets of space and beating defenders with quick feet and close control.
Patience will be required as he builds similar relationships with his new team-mates. National team head coach Walid Regragui, however, has no doubt it will be worth persevering with the French-born Ben Seghir, who declared for Morocco last year.
“The quality he has compared to many other players is that he is impactful,” Regragui said. “He always plays forward and is fearless. Players like that are rare.”
Conor O’Neill
Photo:
Ina FASSBENDER / AFP
Morocco
Bayer Leverkusen
Group A
Attacking midfielder
Full player profile
There is considerable pressure on Morocco, who have not won AFCON since 1976, and who are hosting the tournament for the second time after 1988.
So they will need not just the technical quality but the experience too of Ismael Saibari, who, aged 24, has won two Dutch league titles and five cups over the past two campaigns at Dutch side PSV — and played a key role in Morocco winning the under-23 AFCON on home soil two years ago, where he set up the opening goal in the semi-final win over Mali.
Born in Terrassa, a city in Catalonia, to Moroccan parents, Saibari’s journey to the top was a winding one. He spent time in the academies of Anderlecht, Mechelen and Genk before joining Jong PSV, where he eventually broke his way into the first team (at the same time as Johan Bakayoko).
The main stalling point in his career, cruelly, has been injuries, though this term has been Saibarai’s best, playing over 90 per cent of possible minutes at PSV. As an all-action midfielder who is best at No 10 but can play deeper, and moonlight off either wing if needed too, his ball-striking is incredible off both feet.
Saibari netted 14 and set up 12 goals across all competitions last term, which were career best figures, and has already netted 11 times in league and Champions League in 2025-26.
That included a first career hat-trick away to Feyenoord, scoring all the goals in a 3-2 PSV win — the first came following deft footwork in the box and an outside-the-boot right-footed finish. His second was a rifled left-footed finish on the angle, high into the goal, and he sealed the win by lobbing the goalkeeper from range.
His technical brilliance and a capacity for outstanding moments has seen him become more of a regular under Walid Regragui, who memorably took Morocco to the World Cup semi-finals three years ago.
This challenge is different, though, where Morocco are one of the stronger, better sides, and will face opponents who offer them possession and need to be broken down. With six goals in 19 senior caps, Saibari can bring the magic needed. He occasionally pops up with headers and takes contact particularly well when receiving in tight pockets.
He only debuted at senior level in September 2023, and six of his seven Morocco starts have come in 2025. It’s a spot Saibari has more than earned in what is undoubtedly a high-quality squad.
Liam Tharme
Photo:
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Morocco
PSV
Group A
Central midfielder
Full player profile
On his day, Abde Ezzalzouli is one of the world’s most thrilling footballers. Few can keep up with the 23-year-old at full tilt, a zig-zagging winger with stocky thighs that power his rapid tapping feet. He is fast and refreshingly direct, rarely shying away from an opportunity to drive into the box, and often relying on pure pace and footwork to dance his way through.
As with many wide players of his profile, however, he hasn’t always had the end product to back it up. Before this season, Abde had registered just 12 goal contributions in over 5,000 minutes of top-flight football, no stranger to a shanked shot or frustratingly overhit cross after a whirlwind run to the byline. He racked up half of those goals and assists during a season-long loan at Osasuna, where his mazy dribbling ability and sense of adventure were encouraged, a pressure valve to help the team move up the pitch.
A permanent move to Real Betis soon followed, and though things started shakily — Abde was statistically La Liga’s worst-performing finisher last season, underperforming his expected goals by around 6.0 — he has slowly started to find consistency. He’s started all but two La Liga games under Manuel Pellegrini so far this term, while only five players in La Liga, including Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, have carried the ball into the penalty area more frequently, his forward drive illustrated below.
Abde was a constant threat against Barcelona in early December, driving past both Ferran Torres and Jules Kounde to set up the opening goal, before winning a penalty from the Frenchman with a drop of the shoulder late in the second half.
On this form — decisive, confident, destructive — he gives Morocco something different, their wildcard on the wing.
Thom Harris
Morocco
Real Betis
Group A
Winger
Full player profile
It’s been more than two years since Lameck Banda last scored for his country, and he’s only managed two goals at club level in that time too. But this is a winger who offers much more threat and attacking impetus than his underwhelming output suggests.
Frustrating injuries have disrupted his game time, managing just 12 starts for Italian top-flight side Lecce between knee surgery and a broken ankle. When available, he plays a crucial role in driving his team up the pitch, a rapid runner with a low centre of gravity and solid upper-body strength — similar to Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku — that allows him to wriggle between challenges and absorb contact at full speed.
Since he made his debut in Italian football, only six players have averaged more than his 6.1 take-ons per game, while close to 30 per cent of his carries are considered progressive, pointing to his positive approach whenever he receives the ball. The average distance of his carries, around 8.0 metres, is also the third highest in the sample, a player who can relieve pressure and spring into the spaces that more possession-dominant teams leave in behind.
As we can see below, he is unpredictable with the ball at his feet, equally capable of chopping inside to cross with his right, or driving to the byline and standing up crosses with his weaker left.
There is an obvious place to start when it comes to future improvement: Banda needs more goals and assists to match his effervescence. But he will at least get you into those dangerous positions, an invaluable asset as Zambia assume underdog status in Group A.
Thom Harris
Photo:
Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images
Full player profile
Group B
David Carmo’s final club appearance before AFCON was a grim one, with his Real Oviedo side thrashed 4-0 by Sevilla in La Liga, ending the weekend in 19th place. Compounding matters was Carmo’s dismissal in the final 10 minutes, receiving his second yellow card for an inexplicably full-blooded challenge less than a minute after his first booking.
Oviedo’s struggles, however, may serve Carmo well at AFCON. They spend the majority of games on the back foot, and Carmo leads La Liga for clearances per game (8.4), and is aerially dominant, winning 75 per cent of headed duels.
As outsiders, currently ranked 89th in the FIFA world rankings, Angola can expect similar spells under pressure, conditions well suited to Carmo’s physically imposing style. Recognising their limitations further upfield, Angola leaned into a defence-first approach in qualification, conceding just two goals across six matches, including a 1-0 away victory over Ghana.
Carmo was not involved in that qualifying campaign, only declaring for Angola in 2024 after previously being named in Portugal squads for the UEFA Nations League in 2022 without making an appearance. Despite his career stalling in recent seasons, he represents a clear upgrade on Angola’s previous defensive options, and will be central to their hopes in Morocco.
Conor O’Neill
Photo:
Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images
Angola
Real Oviedo
Group B
Centre-back
Full player profile
When he’s not dazzling his team-mates with his singing, Ibrahim Adel is usually bamboozling the opponent’s full-backs.
Born in Port Said, Adel is a youth product of local club El Merreikh, where he developed as a kid, before joining Al Assiouty Sport aged 16.
A couple of months after Adel joined Al Assiouty, they became Pyramids FC and moved from Beni Suef to the capital, Cairo.
Adel continued his development at Pyramids, where he won the Egypt Cup and guided the team to the CAF Champions League last season.
In the summer, he joined UAE Pro League side Al Jazira, teaming up with ex-Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny.
On the international level, Adel was Egypt’s left-winger in the 2024 Olympics team, which reached the semi-finals and lost to the home nation, France, after extra time. In that run, he scored twice in the 2-1 victory against Spain, and netted a late equaliser against Paraguay in the quarter-finals to keep Egypt in the tournament.
Adel, who was always tipped to be Egypt’s next big thing after Omar Marmoush, is a goalscoring winger who thrives in one-versus-one situations.
He is skilful and can easily dribble past his opponent from a rest position or on the run, which complements his ball-carrying ability — no wonder Eden Hazard is one of his footballing idols.
Adel is a volume shooter who wants to strike the ball towards goal whenever there’s an opportunity. That is helped by his ability to create shooting angles for himself even in crowded situations, as seen in the example above against Baniyas in September.
On top of that, he is comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and with his back to the goal, as he knows how to shield it using his body and has the technical ability to keep it.
Adel is a ball-to-feet winger, but he can benefit from increasing his runs behind the opponent’s defence to diversify his attacking threat. There’s also room for improvement in his end product, considering the numerous shooting situations he creates for himself.
The 24-year-old hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, and he has the potential to become one of the best upcoming players in Africa.
Ahmed Walid
Photo:
Abeer Ahmed/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Egypt
Al Jazira
Group B
Winger
Full player profile
In October 2024, Mahmoud Saber was enjoying a normal evening after training when an unknown number called his phone.
He decided to ignore it and go to sleep, before a representative from his parent club, Pyramids, texted him to say that the Egypt national team were trying to reach him — to tell him that he was being called up to the senior squad.
Since then, the attacking midfielder has been featuring from the bench for Egypt, and is going to join them in the upcoming AFCON in Morocco.
Saber came to the light during the Under-23 AFCON in 2023, when he scored Egypt’s goal in the final, a 2-1 defeat against Morocco, and performed well throughout the tournament.
The second-place finish in the Under-23 AFCON earned Egypt a spot in the 2024 Olympics, where Saber scored in the 3-1 defeat against France in the semi-finals.
Saber is a youth product of Nogoom FC, and was picked up by Pyramids in 2020 – initially on loan, before completing the transfer the following year.
However, he has been loaned out to Smouha and ZED FC since 2023, putting in impressive performances in the domestic league this season.
Saber can play behind the striker or as a No 8 in midfield. He links the play well in that area and helps the team progress the ball up the pitch, but is still developing in terms of being a constant creative force in the final third.
One of Saber’s main features in midfield is his positioning between the lines and ability to receive on the turn, as seen in this example against Petrojet in October.
In addition, he can carry the ball forward into space and shoot from distance. Saber’s ball-striking is his standout ability, which makes him a threat near the edge of the penalty area.
This season, he has improved his set-piece delivery, with two assists from corners, and he is working on the defensive side of his game.
Saber is ambitious and wants to compete at the highest level. When asked in a recent interview about his future, he was clear: playing abroad is the target.
Ahmed Walid
Photo:
Ayman Aref/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Egypt
ZED FC
Group B
Attacking midfielder
Full player profile
It has taken Appollis a little over a year to become South Africa’s most influential attacking player. No one has scored or assisted more competitive goals for Bafana Bafana this calendar year, racking up 13 goal contributions in just over 1,150 minutes, the equivalent of 12 full games.
The 24-year-old ran the show as South Africa beat Rwanda 3-0 in December, helping them to snatch top spot in their World Cup qualifying group ahead of Nigeria. He created six chances — swinging in set pieces, chopping inside and sliding passes in behind — and scored the nerve-settling second goal, making a sweet connection with a bouncing ball inside the box to sweep into the far corner.
Striking through the ball cleanly is a dependable asset for Appollis, a player who backs himself from distance, and can pack plenty of venom and whip on his corners and free kicks. He guided a perfectly placed dipping finish into the far corner against Chippa United in November, while a flick through his catalogue of goals for former club Polokwane City reveals several one-on-one finishes hit hard and low into the corners.
More notable still is Appollis’ desire to drop deep and get involved in the build-up; he’s a confident dribbler who uses his diminutive frame and quick feet to slip and slide between challenges. Here he is against Rwanda below, for example, picking up the ball inside his own half before gliding past the pressure and driving towards the box.
There are obvious drawbacks to his slender physique. He can be eased off the ball by bigger defenders if they get their bodies in the way. But there is real energy when you watch Appollis, who can turn sharply on the ball and wriggle out of tight spots with the ball at his feet.
South Africa are yet to lose a game that Appollis has started. His link-up with Lyle Foster will be essential to keep them moving up the pitch.
Thom Harris
Photo:
Visionhaus/Getty Images
South Africa
Orlando Pirates
Group B
Winger
Full player profile
When the last edition of AFCON started in January 2024, Maswanhise was still an academy player at Leicester City. Then a teenager, he had netted 18 times across two seasons — the top scorer for their under-23s in 2021-22 and then again for the under-21s when the Premier League 2 rebranded the following year.
He struggled to break into the first team, though, with the presence and goals of Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka completely blocking any pathway to a senior striker role, plus quality and depth on the wings and at No 10 with Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Ademola Lookman.
And with Leicester going from eighth place in 2021-22 to being relegated in 2022-23, the environment was not one suited to bringing through youngsters.
Instead, Maswanhise went elsewhere, and said in August 2024 that he felt “ready to make an impact” at Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. Sixteen months on, those words are prophetic.
Primarily a striker who can also operate as an inverted winger off the left, Maswanhise has netted 14 league goals, including one penalty, and proven to be the league’s most clinical finisher when compared to the quality of those changes (via the expected-goals metric). A conversion rate of one in five puts him among the top 10 forwards in the league over the past two years.
Only six players have scored more Scottish Premiership goals than him since his arrival, and that form has been rewarded with a new contract (until 2027). His role internationally has grown from substitute appearances in 2024, when he debuted that March in a home defeat to Kenya.
The 23-year-old featured in four of Zimbabwe’s six AFCON qualifying matches, starting twice, as they finished second behind Cameroon to qualify for just their sixth appearance at the tournament — with only three wins in 15 AFCON games, they have never made it out of the groups.
Having to play underdog football should make Maswanhise’s profile even more valuable. He plays off either wing for Zimbabwe, and is gifted with natural pace — his father, Jeffrey, ran for Zimbabwe twice at Commonwealth Games in the 4x400m relay — and is not reluctant to shoot from distance, particularly when cutting in from the left.
His striker tendencies are developing too, finding a knack for drifting into back-post positions to score headed goals. Crucially, he’s netted the match-winning goal for Motherwell five times, a stat in which only three players (Vaclav Cerny of Rangers, Daizen Maeda at Celtic, and Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland) are better. Zimbabwe will hope he can replicate that knack at AFCON.
Liam Tharme
Photo:
Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images
Zimbabwe
Motherwell
Group B
Winger
Full player profile
Group C
A dynamic holding midfielder who can fill a variety of roles, Onyedika can play in a double defensive-midfield ‘pivot’ or as a solitary No 6. He can drop between the centre-backs to circulate possession or operate between the lines to move teams forward. As a skilled passer, he regularly punches the ball through or over the lines.
The clip below from Brugge’s game against Anderlecht shows Onyedika cleverly gliding away from a marker before playing a precise forward pass.
While he is not the most high-volume ball-carrier, his disguised reverse passes when given time on the ball are difficult to stop. He maintains his composure while passing in transitional moments, too.
Onyedika reads the game excellently, winning duels and intercepting passes to break up opposition moves. His upper-body strength and long limbs, along with his athleticism, are handy in defensive situations as well. Brugge’s Champions League campaign has seen him face Barcelona and Arsenal already this season.
Onyedika also poses a goal threat from attacking set pieces and can unleash powerful strikes from distance. This is an area he can still improve but at 24, he is already a skilled operator who will be keenly watched in Morocco over the next few weeks.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Photo:
Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Nigeria
Club Brugge
Group C
Defensive midfielder
Full player profile
Alebiosu has come out of nowhere to be included in Nigeria’s squad. The 23-year-old had never been called up before but injuries to Ola Aina and Benjamin Fredrick, along with William Troost-Ekong’s retirement, have left head coach Eric Chelle desperately short of defensive options. If Alebiosu impresses Chelle, he has a genuine chance of playing regularly instead of just travelling to make up the numbers.
Starting his career in Arsenal’s academy, Alebiosu played with future USMNT international Folarin Balogun, Crystal Palace forward Eddie Nketiah and Nottingham Forest’s Omari Hutchinson. Kevin Betsy was in charge of Arsenal’s under-23s for the 2021-22 season and used a 3-5-2 system, where Alebiosu would play as an aggressive right wing-back. He trained regularly with the first team and was an unused substitute in a 0-0 draw with Burnley in January 2022.
Alebiosu went on loan to Crewe Alexandra and Kilmarnock before he joined Belgian Pro League side Kortrijk permanently in September 2023. He spent 18 months with Kortrijk and then moved to St Mirren on loan.
Alebiosu’s career has taken a huge leap forward since he joined Blackburn Rovers in the summer. He has started all 20 of their games in the Championship this season, switching between right-back and wing-back.
Alebiosu’s speed and directness are his biggest assets. When he is given the freedom to push forward, he likes to hug the touchline and overlap before whipping crosses into the box. He moves into central areas on his left foot, too, offering him different passing angles. He scored his first goal for Blackburn in a 2-1 victory against Southampton by charging down the right wing before bending a shot with his left foot into the far corner.
He could link up perfectly with the left-footed Samuel Chukwueze. The on-loan Fulham forward is expected to be Nigeria’s first-choice right winger and Alebiosu’s selfless runs will create space by dragging defenders out of position. Victor Osimhen will happily attack his deliveries into the box.
It will be interesting to see how Chelle uses Alebiosu, since left-back Zaidu Sanusi is usually encouraged to push forward as well. Nigeria need to strike the right balance to prevent their centre-back partnership of Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi from being overrun.
Alebiosu’s biggest obstacle to a starting place at AFCON is Bright Osayi-Samuel. After making his debut against Portugal in November 2022, the 27-year-old has earned 25 caps. He started last month’s 4-1 victory over Gabon but was dropped for the World Cup play-off tie against DR Congo. Osayi-Samuel’s experience is valuable but Alebiosu looks like a tempting wildcard.
Jay Harris
Photo:
Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Nigeria
Blackburn
Group C
Full-back
Full player profile
At 24, Job is the defensive cornerstone of the Tanzanian champions, Young Africans, and his national team.
He rose to prominence at a young age, featuring for Mtibwa Sugar in the Tanzanian top flight as a teenager, before joining Young Africans in January 2021.
Playing at centre-back, he has won four successive domestic league titles with his club, alongside four Tanzania FA Cups. He was also part of the team that reached the final of the 2023 CAF Confederation Cup, Africa’s equivalent of the Europa League, which Young Africans lost against USM Alger on away goals.
Internationally, Job made his senior debut with the Tanzania national team at 20. And in recent years, he has become a mainstay in Tanzania’s starting line-up, captaining the national team in the 2024 African Nations Championship — a biennial tournament that only features players playing in their respective local leagues.
Despite his youth, Job is Young Africans’ vice-captain and knows how to command their defensive line during the matches. In addition, the centre-back has a strong reading of the game.
Job is an aggressive tackler, though, which can expose him a bit if he is dragged out of position. However, it empowers his dueling ability on the ground, which is aided by his low centre of gravity — he is just 5ft 5in (168cm).
On the ball, Job’s carrying ability stands out, which is an important asset in his skill set as a modern centre-back.
Job’s ability to lead is illustrated by his communication skills, whether at the national team or the club level. He is a trusted point of contact between Young Africans’ executives and the rest of the team.
One of the most promising centre-backs in Africa, Job released a book in January about his life story to inspire and motivate young people across the continent.
Ahmed Walid
Tanzania
Young Africans
Group C
Centre-back
Full player profile
A boyhood Esperance de Tunis fan, Ben Romdhane joined the Tunisian club from an early age.
He rose through the youth ranks, debuting for Esperance’s senior team at 18. Ben Romdhane won numerous titles with Esperance and was one of their best players during a period between 2018 and 2022, when the team won five domestic titles and two CAF Champions League finals.
Ben Romdhane’s impressive displays on African club football’s biggest stage caught the attention of multiple teams.
In the summer of 2023, he joined Hungarian champions Ferencvaros and spent two seasons with them, winning the league title twice. His next step was a return to Africa this June to join Egypt’s Al Ahly.
Ben Romdhane is an all-round midfielder, combative off the ball, secure on it and able to combine effectively with his team-mates. The 26-year-old has the odd goal in him too, whether via long-range shots or late runs into the penalty area. He thrives as a No 8 in a three-man midfield, especially on the left.
This sequence from Tunisia’s 1-1 draw against Mauritania in November illustrates Ben Romdhane’s all-action approach. He wins the ball in midfield, dribbles past his opponent and tries to find a runner into the penalty area.
He has been around Tunisia’s national team for a while. Ben Romdhane was in the squad that participated in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he started in the 1-0 victory against France.
In September, Ben Romdhane scored the only goal against Equatorial Guinea in a World Cup qualifier, securing Tunisia a spot in next year’s tournament.
Recently, he has fallen out of Al Ahly’s starting line-up due to the team moving to a 4-2-3-1 shape. Al Ahly’s new head coach, Jess Thorup, is choosing to field two defensive-minded midfielders in the double pivot behind Zizo, leaving no room for Ben Romdhane, who can play as a No 6, but has a more offensive profile than team-mates Marwan Attia and Aliou Dieng.
The upcoming AFCON is a huge opportunity for Ben Romdhane to showcase his talents.
Ahmed Walid
Photo:
Tullio Puglia – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Tunisia
Al Ahly
Group C
Central midfielder
Full player profile
It’s fair to say there was a bit of a buzz surrounding Allan Okello after he was promoted from the academy at Kampala Capital City Authority FC.
Freshly crowned player of the season in the Ugandan Junior League, the then-16-year-old had been compared to Lionel Messi by his manager before he had even pulled on the first-team shirt. A hat-trick of goals and a further assist on his senior debut did little to stem that excitement.
From there, Okello established himself as a key attacking player, chipping in with six goals from midfield to help KCCA to regain their title in 2018-19. He failed to kick on abroad after a move to Algerian club Paradou, largely disrupted by a knee injury, but his return to Uganda has been emphatic, smashing home 19 goals and finishing top scorer after he made the contentious move to cross-city rivals Vipers SC in the summer of 2023.
Now 25, Okello has filled out since his breakout campaign, so those lofty comparisons to Messi are slightly less descriptive of his approach to the game. Still tidy on the ball and capable of jinking runs out wide, you’re more likely to see Okello harness his forward momentum with long strides through midfield, always looking to get the ball onto his dangerous left foot.
Here he is against Mozambique, for example, dropping into a pocket of space before turning and immediately looking to test the goalkeeper from range. He connects sweetly, and sends the ball flying into the top corner from 30 yards.
Such technique means that you will see Okello on penalties, corners and free kicks in Morocco. He has racked up seven assists in his last 11 competitive appearances on the international stage, even sending a knuckleball corner swerving and dipping onto the head of centre-forward Jude Ssemugabi in October for a crucial winning goal in Botswana.
Uganda’s group is tough, and if they are to progress ahead of Nigeria and Tunisia, it’s the kind of out-of-nothing magic that Okello will need to produce.
Thom Harris
Photo:
Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua via Getty Images
Uganda
Vipers
Group C
Attacking midfielder
Full player profile
Group D
Hountondji is a name some on English shores will be familiar with.
The 23-year-old joined Burnley from French side Caen in July 2024 following a successful loan spell at Rodez, where he scored 14 times in 34 Ligue 2 matches. He made just nine Championship appearances before a January loan to Standard Liege, where he scored four goals in 18 matches.
Hountondji joined St Pauli on a season-long loan in July and has showcased some of his best attributes in the Bundesliga.
He works hard without the ball, constantly recalibrating his runs to free himself up to receive passes. His frightening bursts of pace with the ball are standing out again, as they did at Rodez.
While he can drift in and out of games when these runs go unnoticed, Hountondji tries to make his limited involvement (above) count by taking shots whenever the opportunity arises. He can be baited into taking low-quality efforts from distance but can make teams pay for this too, often generating powerful right-footed shots with minimal backlift.
Hountondji’s dribbling can frustrate as he tends to run with his head down when forced wide but he can also deliver dangerous crosses into the box.
He has scored only three goals in 20 caps for Benin but if they are to get out of a group with Senegal, Botswana and DR Congo, Hountondji’s performances could be crucial.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Photo:
Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images
Benin
St Pauli
Group D
Forward
Full player profile
Centre-back Kopelang finished as joint-top scorer for Botswana in their failed 10-game World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, scoring twice. That’s the same number of goals the nation has managed across its entire AFCON history, both of them coming at the 2010 tournament, their only previous appearance at the competition.
Ranked 138th in the world — the lowest of any side at AFCON — Botswana are clearly up against it. To have any chance of progressing from a group containing Senegal, DR Congo and Benin, they will need to draw on every ounce of defensive resilience from Kopelang and others.
In truth, not loads is known about Kopelang. At a tournament packed with elite talent, information on this Botswana squad is threadbare, with many players lacking even a Wikipedia entry.
Head coach Morena Ramoreboli has turned that anonymity into a source of motivation.
“When you compete at the Cup of Nations finals, that’s when outside clubs take more interest in Botswana. At the moment, we only have four players who are playing outside the country, and they are playing in north Africa”, he told Flashscore.
Kopelang will be among those hoping to raise their profile in Morocco, one of seven players drawn from 2023-24 Botswana Premier League champions Jwaneng Galaxy. Galaxy are coached by former League of Ireland manager Sean Connor, who gave Everton right-back Seamus Coleman his first senior appearance, with Sligo Rovers, in 2006.
Kopelang’s career is perhaps unlikely to follow the same rapid rise, but a solid tournament anchoring Botswana’s defence could alter its trajectory entirely.
Conor O’Neill
Photo:
Ayman Aref/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Botswana
Jwaneng Galaxy
Group D
Centre-back
Full player profile
While Sunderland’s summer signing of Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen understandably grabbed headlines, the performances of his midfield partner Noah Sadiki — who joined from Union Saint-Gilloise in July — have been truly outstanding.
Having turned 21 on December 17, Sadiki is very much the rookie compared to Xhaka, but plays with a stamina and front-footed defensive style which brings Sunderland to life. Sadiki, alongside Xhaka and goalkeeper Robin Roefs, are the ever-present players for the north-east side after 15 matches of 2025-26.
Born in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, Sadiki played for their age-group sides up until under 20 (whom he debuted for aged 17), at which point he switched to DR Congo’s under-21s, representing a country he has allegiance to through his parents.
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris explained the reasons for buying Sadiki from Union Saint-Gilloise in the summer, a club where he spent two years (in his native Brussels) after graduating from the academy at Anderlecht.
“What stood out immediately was his composure on the ball, his ability to manage rhythm, and the maturity in his decision-making,” Le Bris told SAFC.com. “That level of experience at such a young age is rare. He can operate as a holding midfielder, as part of a double pivot, or even in slightly different roles.”
So far in 2025-26, Sadiki is the top Sunderland player for blocks (23) and dribbles (25), as well as progressive carries (30), which reflects his confidence and quality to drive through midfield with the ball, and an eagerness to break up play. He wins plenty of fouls too.
Something of an Energizer Bunny, he notably picked up a knock during the first half of Sunderland’s late 2-1 away win over Chelsea in October. Where others might have gestured to be substituted, Sadiki shook it off, recovered, and finished the match.
He was first called up to the senior side by head coach Sebastien Desabre in September 2024, seven months after DR Congo finished fourth at AFCON — Ivory Coast beat them in the semi-finals and South Africa won the third-place play-off on penalties.
Initially, Sadiki was limited to substitute appearances, before being handed starts in the final two AFCON qualifying matches against Guinea and Ethiopia. Congo lost both by a marginal goal but still finished top of their group to qualify.
He and his country will head to Morocco in buoyant mood after beating African heavyweights Cameroon and Nigeria in the play-off round to qualify for next summer’s World Cup. Sadiki played more than 200 minutes across those two games, starting on the left of a midfield triangle. Expect him to operate in a similar role at AFCON.
Liam Tharme
Photo:
George Wood/Getty Images
DR Congo
Sunderland
Group D
Central midfielder
Full player profile
West Ham are having a torrid season, already onto their second head coach (after replacing Graham Potter with Nuno Espirito Santo) and battling relegation, but Diouf has been a shining light in east London.
The 20-year-old, a summer signing from Slavia Prague, has stood out for his energy, creativity and work rate in a leaky, identity-less team. He spent 16 months in the Czech Republic, where he landed after trials in Spain and eventually Tromso, Norway, a long way from Dakar, his birthplace in Senegal.
At Tromso, only a teenager, he was sent off in his second game and took time to settle. Slavia spotted his potential, and he hit the ground running there — thriving as a left wing-back in their 3-4-3, netting the third in a 3-0 win away to MFK Karvina on his full debut, and 10 days later scoring against city rivals Sparta, in a cup match that Slavia eventually lost.
That set the tone for a phenomenal 2024-25, where he scored seven and set up two more in the league to help Slavia better their city rivals and win a first domestic title for four years. His first senior international recognition came in September 2024 as a 92nd-minute sub in an AFCON qualifying match away to Burundi.
Cruelly, a fractured fibula cut Diouf’s season short, and he missed two World Cup qualifiers this April. Diouf recovered from that and, like at Slavia, started with purpose at West Ham.
He made three assists in his first six league matches, which had him top among defenders in the early weeks. Only Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe and Frank Lampard have more Premier League assists for West Ham aged 20 or younger.
Whipped crosses on the overlap have become a feature of his game. Diouf has the most crosses of any West Ham player in 2025-26, and ought to have had an assist in Senegal’s 3-1 win over England at the City Ground (where they became the first African side to beat England), when Ismaila Sarr could only head the curling delivery straight at Jordan Pickford.
Diouf kept a certain Bukayo Saka quiet in that match, evidence that his defending is improving. He’s made the second-most interceptions and third-most clearances at West Ham this term, playing a key role in locking off the back post, including a block recently for Georginio Rutter’s volley late on away to Brighton & Hove Albion — which he celebrated like a goal.
Liam Tharme
Photo:
Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Senegal
West Ham
Group D
Full-back
Full player profile
For the past two years, Lamine Camara’s career journey has been exponential. In 2023 he left Generation Foot in his native Senegal for Metz, then of Ligue 2, arriving just as they secured promotion.
He played all six games in Senegal’s victorious African Nations Championship at the start of that year (a continental competition purely for players in each country’s respective national leagues), where they beat Algeria on penalties in the final.
Then he starred at the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which started in February and ended on March 11. (It was why he arrived at Metz towards the end of the season.)
Camara was player of the tournament at the 2023 Under-20 AFCON, as Senegal won all six games without conceding. A No 8 in a 4-3-3, he created the winner in the quarter-final against Benin and scored twice to beat Tunisia 3-0 the round after, before starting the final win over Gambia.
After one full season, Metz sold him to Monaco for €15million, and he has settled excellently in the principality. His passing range is excellent, though Camara sometimes is over-ambitious when he tries to break lines. Statistically, he profiles similarly to Luka Modric and Adam Wharton.
An outstanding final ball is a feature of his game, putting up 14 assists since August 2023, which only six Ligue 1 players can better. His switches of play and long passes in behind are becoming trademarks, while he fulfills set-piece duties at Monaco (with equally good inswinging and outswinging corners) just like when he played for Metz.
The only thing that has held Camara back has been the ankle injury he picked up in September, which kept him out for almost two months. He has fully recovered from that, back to playing full 90 minutes, and will go to AFCON trying to do better than the round-of-16 finish that Senegal managed two years ago (Ivory Coast, the eventual winners, beat them on penalties).
Camara played three of the four matches there, having just turned 20 — only eight Senegalese have ever played at an AFCON at a younger age. He netted twice in the opening match against Gambia. Eleven senior caps have followed since AFCON 2023, giving him much more seniority than his age might suggest.
Liam Tharme
Photo:
Ed Sykes/Getty Images
Senegal
Monaco
Group D
Central Midfielder
Full player profile
Group E
When Eintracht Frankfurt signed Fares Chaibi from Toulouse in the summer of 2023, they knew they had a real talent on their hands. Figuring out where on the pitch that talent was maximised took some time, but with six assists and one goal in 12 Bundesliga appearances this season, head coach Dino Toppmoller appears to have cracked it.
Chaibi’s first two seasons were spent largely in advanced attacking roles, with almost a third of his minutes coming as a centre-forward. A return of just three goals across that spell pointed to misprofiling, but a positional shift into centre midfield this season has since sparked his best form.
“This summer, before the season started, I spoke a lot with the coach, and we agreed to reposition me in midfield,” he told the Bundesliga’s website.
The creative instincts forged higher up the pitch now give him an edge from deeper areas, his vision setting him apart from most of his positional peers. He has also developed into a set-piece specialist, with two of his assists coming from pinpoint near-post corner deliveries. One of these arrived in an enthralling 6-4 victory against Borussia Monchengladbach in September, where Chaibi also added another assist and capped his display by steering a low cross home from just outside the six-yard box.
That victory also exposed some of both Chaibi’s and Frankfurt’s defensive limitations. Snapping into tackles and pouncing on loose balls are not yet part of his repertoire in a deeper role. Frankfurt have looked porous all season, particularly in the Champions League, where only Ajax have conceded more than their 16 goals across the six group-stage matches played so far.
Even with those still-developing defensive instincts, Chaibi gives Algeria a creative spark from the heart of midfield as they chase a third AFCON title.
Conor O’Neill
Photo:
Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Algeria
Eintracht Frankfurt
Group E
Attacking midfielder
Full player profile
Mohamed Amoura might be one of the best players most football fans have never heard of.
An electric, versatile forward who joined Wolfsburg from Union Saint-Gilloise in 2024, Amoura’s form has survived despite the Bundesliga club’s alarming downturn over the 18 months since. Ten goals and nine assists for a team that finished 11th (and sacked head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl) was an outstanding return last season (illustrated below).
Versatility is the key. Amoura is a fine finisher and a creator with plenty of craft. He’s also a dynamic ball carrier who can menace isolated defenders, particularly when they are caught out wide. Right foot, left foot. He can attack the inside or outside shoulder. He’s a problem for back lines.
He is terrific without the ball, too, and one of the better defensive forwards in Germany. He’s a hassler and hurrier, a real asset for any high-pressing system.
Fortunately, this Algerian side is full of players who complement him well and bring out those surprising elements in his game, including Riyad Mahrez, Fares Chaibi and the underrated Baghdad Bounedjah. The 3-0 win against Somalia in October, a result that qualified Algeria for next year’s World Cup, featured a falling volley at the back post from Amoura and a fine header from a Mahrez cross.
They were goals 15 and 16 of an international career that has seen him average one every two games.
He is unusually good in the air for someone who is 170cm (5ft 7in). It’s fascinating to watch. He has the timing and anticipation of a natural centre-forward and the spring to hang in the air.
Older readers who watched Kevin Keegan during his prime will recognise some traits. Amoura is a diminutive figure, but with the breadth of game to appear much bigger than he really is.
He’s a spectacle and there should be every expectation he will star at this tournament.
You have to wonder just how long he’ll spend in Wolfsburg, given that they seem to be perpetually rebuilding and are, after all, built to be a selling club. Amoura has the game to move higher up the league, or could even thrive in the English Premier League. Being surrounded by better team-mates could unlock something truly special.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
Photo:
Adam Haneen/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Algeria
Wolfsburg
Group E
Forward
Full player profile
Dango Ouattara’s biggest strength is his versatility, an attribute that has stood out since his early days at SC Majestic in Burkina Faso and at French side Lorient.
In 2024-25, his final season at Bournemouth before joining Brentford for a club-record fee worth £37million, with a further £5m in add-ons, in the summer, he logged minutes all across the front line (illustrated below). The versatile Ouattara even briefly filled in at left-back, a position in which he also played during his stint at Lorient.
In wide areas, Ouattara’s dribbling and pace in possession make him a difficult assignment for most full-backs. When deployed more centrally, his biggest strength is in attacking the box with delayed runs to get into scoring positions, with 82 per cent of his shots since the start of 2024-25 coming from within the box.
The 23-year-old’s finishing can be erratic — he has converted just 12 per cent of his chances in the same period — but his talent is undeniable. His time at Bournemouth significantly improved his out-of-possession qualities and running in behind.
His international record — 12 goals and five assists in 35 caps — shows why he will be crucial to Burkina Faso’s AFCON campaign.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Photo:
Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Burkina Faso
Brentford
Group E
Winger
Full player profile
Meet the man who can’t stop scoring hat-tricks. Well, not really, but after scoring two trebles in his last two appearances for Burkina Faso, Hearts forward Pierre Landry Kabore heads into AFCON in the best immediate international form.
The first, in October’s World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia, were his first goals for his country and made him the only Hearts player to ever score a senior international hat-trick.
Kabore joined the Scottish side in the summer from Estonian club Narva Trans, part of a new data-driven recruitment strategy — introduced after Brighton owner Tony Bloom became a shareholder — aimed at unearthing undervalued talent from less-heralded leagues.
Among that crop of new arrivals, Kabore is still finding his feet. He has played just 359 league minutes this season, but two goals and an assist in that time hint at his potential. Kabore is mobile and fond of drifting to the right, and his creative quality was on display with his brilliant assist against Kilmarnock, flicking the ball in behind for Lawrence Shankland while running back towards his own goal.
It will take time for him to adapt to Scottish football, but for Burkina Faso he represents a rare commodity at international level: a proven goalscorer. Alongside his prolific recent international record, he scored 22 goals in his final 20 games in Estonia before signing for Hearts.
Conor O’Neill
Photo:
Mark Scates/SNS Group via Getty Images
Burkina Faso
Hearts
Group E
Forward
Full player profile
Firmly established at a competitive Serie A club and fast approaching the peak of his career, there’s a strong chance that centre-back Saul Coco will become the most-capped player in Equatorial Guinea’s history.
Born in Lanzarote to a Spanish mother and an Equatoguinean father, the 26-year-old forged a career in football on the Canary Islands, playing close to 3,000 minutes for Las Palmas as they secured promotion to the top-flight in 2023. He formed a complementary partnership with Mika Marmol at the heart of Garcia Pimienta’s demanding, pass-heavy system — comfortable in possession, but alert to the loose ball and tough in the tackle to cover should the build-up break down.
Since moving to Italy, Coco has largely operated on the left of a back three, with his sense of anticipation and long strides allowing him to monitor the space out wide.
One thing that hasn’t waned since the switch is his eye for the spectacular: he scored a looping overhead kick just five games into his Torino career. And, as we can see from the shot map below, he is not shy when it comes to shooting from distance, a habit justified by a swerving ‘knuckleball’ free kick from 35 yards back in La Liga against Villarreal.
Equatorial Guinea were one of the surprise packages at the last Africa Cup of Nations, finishing top of their group and beating hosts Ivory Coast by four goals to nil. Coco played every minute of that tournament, and is sure to be their defensive anchor once more.
Thom Harris
Photo:
Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images
Equatorial Guinea
Torino
Group E
Centre-back
Full player profile
The last time Al-Gozoli Nooh played in the AFCON, he was 19 and only got a couple of minutes as Sudan were knocked out of the group stage in 2021.
Since then, he has been gaining more experience, starring for Al Merrikh, before moving to play in Libya with Al-Nasr and Al-Ahli Tripoli, where he won the 2024-25 Libyan Premier League.
Nooh is a versatile right-footed winger who can comfortably play on either side of the pitch. He is skillful and can dribble past opponents, with his pace being one of his key strengths.
That speed is best seen off the ball when the Sudan winger attacks the space behind the opponent’s defence or on the counter-attack. Nooh is adept at understanding which spaces he has to attack and times his movement well.
He also likes to roam inside the pitch and operate in narrow positions to combine with his team-mates or make runs in behind from central areas. Defensively, he constantly drops to support his full-back in Sudan’s compact 4-4-2.
Nooh was part of the squad that finished second in Group F in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, beating Niger and Ghana to the last ticket to Morocco. In addition, Sudan were a tough team to beat in the 2026 World Cup qualifying group, where they finished third behind DR Congo and Senegal.
The national team’s recent improvement, of which Nooh’s performances have been a crucial part, is a testament to the squad, which has been forced to play home matches anywhere but home amid ongoing unrest in the country.
Nooh is the type of winger you want to see attacking the space with his mesmerising speed, but at 23, there are still parts of his game that need development.
On his return to the AFCON, he will want to show what he can offer.
Ahmed Walid
Photo:
Adam Haneen/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Sudan
Al-Ahli Tripoli
Group E
Forward
Full player profile
Group F
There is a huge amount of hype surrounding Carlos Baleba — and it is easy to understand why.
Brighton & Hove Albion signed the midfielder for just under £26million, including add-ons, in August 2023 when he was only 19. At the time, it was the second-most expensive signing in Brighton’s history but they will comfortably make a significant profit when he inevitably moves on. Baleba joined Brighton in the same window that they sold Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115m. Baleba, who turns 22 in January, has not matched Caicedo’s levels yet but regularly demonstrates he has world-class potential.
One of Baleba’s biggest assets is his ball-carrying ability. The Cameroon international’s stocky physique means he can power through opponents but he is technically gifted and capable of gliding past players too. This unique blend of strength and grace is what makes him so much fun to watch and is why Manchester United enquired about signing him in the summer transfer window.
Baleba’s father, Eugene, was a professional footballer who represented French side Saint Etienne. Eugene was inspired by Ronaldinho and Diego Maradona so pushed his son to be a winger or a No 10. During his childhood in Douala, a coastal city in Cameroon, Baleba operated as an advanced midfielder and only dropped deeper into the No 6 role after joining Lille in January 2022. Baleba has cited Paul Pogba, Kevin De Bruyne and Thiago Alcantara as some of his role models.
In an interview with The Athletic this month, Baleba described himself as “always smiling.” He will be hoping to bring joy to Cameroon during AFCON but there will be a lot of pressure on Baleba’s shoulders. Cameroon sacked their head coach Marc Brys and replaced him with David Pagou a few weeks before their opening game against Gabon. Senior players including Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Vincent Aboubakar and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting have been left out of the squad. Baleba is lacking in experience but along with Bryan Mbeumo is arguably the most high-profile player Pagou has selected because they both play in the Premier League.
Baleba only has 11 caps and he regularly partnered Anguissa in midfield. Now he will have to take on a bigger role due to the absence of Anguissa who won the Serie A Player of the Month award in October and lifted the title with Napoli last season. Will he rise to the challenge? Or is too much being expected of a talented but young player in his major tournament debut?
Jay Harris
Photo:
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Cameroon
Brighton
Group F
Central midfielder
Full player profile
This will be a first taste of major international tournament football for Boyomo, and it is fair to say that the 24-year-old has worked his way up through the ranks.
Since leaving Blackburn Rovers in 2020, the centre-back has racked up over 13,000 league minutes in Spanish football, a defensive pillar for three separate clubs. He played over 100 times for Albacete in the second and third divisions, before earning a move to Real Valladolid, starting 33 games in their promotion-winning campaign.
His performances alerted Osasuna, in the market for a centre-back after the departure of long-serving captain David Garcia. No outfield player in La Liga has more minutes to his name since Boyomo joined the club to take his place.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing in Pamplona; despite an impressive ninth-placed finish last season, Osasuna have struggled since manager Vicente Moreno left in the summer. Boyomo has been very much at the coalface, making the most tackles and the second-most ball recoveries of centre-backs in the Spanish top flight this term.
As we can see from the chart below, Boyomo backs up that all-action game with a high success rate. He is a strong tackler who can hold his own when the going gets tough.
Osasuna’s direct style of play means that Boyomo is generally encouraged to go long — and quickly — with the ball at his feet. He is capable of picking out the long diagonal and likes to drive into midfield with the ball at his feet, with his upper-body strength helping him shield possession.
Some experienced centre-back options, including Jean-Charles Castelletto and Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui, have been left out of the squad, clearing a path for Boyomo to start their opening game against Gabon. Once Boyomo gets that opportunity, he doesn’t tend to let go.
Thom Harris
Photo:
Juan Manuel Serrano Arc
Cameroon
Osasuna
Group F
Centre-back
Full player profile
It is plausible to think that when Anthony Oyono’s favourite player was starring at right-back, the Gabon defender was still too young to grasp the intricacies of football.
However, he surely watched enough of Sergio Ramos at centre-back to call him his ideal defender.
Oyono, who was born in the north of France to a French mother and Gabonese father, joined US Boulogne’s academy as a teenager and rose through the ranks to make his senior debut in 2020-21.
After establishing himself as Boulogne’s right-back, he made the move to Italy to join Frosinone in January 2022, shortly after featuring for Gabon in that month’s AFCON.
Oyono is a strong defender, who is hard to bypass in one-on-one situations. He is a tough tackler, but times his actions well. On top of that, he is defensively aware of his positioning: he knows when he can move up to press or drop to cover for his centre-backs. However, Oyono needs to be more proactive when his team lose the ball and are facing the transition.
In terms of physicality, Oyono has the pace and stamina to go up and down the pitch. While in possession, he has the technical ability to comfortably receive the ball and control it, even under pressure.
Oyono is secure on the ball and able carry it forward to help his side advance up the pitch, before combining with the winger ahead of him. The Gabon right-back’s smart off-ball movement is one of his key assets in attack, especially his underlapping runs.
Another feature of his game is his decision-making in the final third, which when complemented with his passing ability, makes him a threat in the half-space.
The one offensive area which Oyono has to work on is his crossing towards the far post. The 24-year-old is adept at playing cutbacks or low crosses, but could do with improving his deliveries that have more height to them.
At Frosinone, Oyono is joined by his twin brother, Jeremy, who is technically his backup for both club and country, and fittingly will be in the squad with him in this AFCON.
The 2022 edition of the tournament was Oyono’s first, when Gabon exited in the round of 16, losing a penalty shootout to Burkina Faso following a 1-1 draw. He will hope they perform better in 2025 after developing his game in the intervening three years (Gabon didn’t qualify for the 2024 edition).
Ahmed Walid
Photo:
Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
Gabon
Frosinone
Group F
Full-back
Full player profile
Rui Borges, the Sporting CP head coach, gave a glowing assessment of Diomande in October: “He’s an important player, with everything he gives us physically, and he stands out in that duel-based approach, in his physical competitiveness.”
Sporting’s permanent shift to a 4-2-3-1 under Borges, the successor to Ruben Amorim (who was wedded to the 3-4-3), means 22-year-old Diomande has had to relearn his centre-back role.
Rather than being an outside or central centre-back in a trio, he now operates in a pair alongside Goncalo Inacio, who tends to take on most of the passing burden in league games.
Diomande is an adept progressive passer, though, recently making 11 line-breaking passes away to Bayern Munich in a 3-1 Champions League defeat, showcasing tactical nous for knowing when to play forward, and technical quality to do so off both feet.
Without the ball, his physicality is a standout attribute. Discipline and control and restraint are still something he needs to add to his game, making the third-most fouls by any top-flight centre-back in Portugal last season.
Strength and front-footed instincts make him an excellent one-v-one defender, winning 23 of the 29 tackles he made on dribbling opponents last season — the third-highest success rate of any Primeira Liga player (79.8 per cent).
At AFCON in 2024, Diomande started the first two games for Ivory Coast, which were only his fourth and fifth senior caps.
He put up a 90 per cent pass completion in both matches, and won eight of 11 ground duels and five of nine aerial duels, but was dropped from the final group game onwards and did not play again — as Emerse Fae took over from Jean-Louis Gasset who had been sacked mid-tournament. The more experienced Willy Boly and Odilon Kossounou took his spot.
Since then, muscle and ankle injuries have limited his minutes and availability, only making four more international appearances, though that is not to take away from an outstanding two years.
Now a double league winner with Sporting, Diomande is a Champions League regular, and has come a long way since being a 17-year-old who joined FC Midtjylland in Denmark. He never played for them, with a loan spell at Portuguese senior-tier side Mafra cut short in January 2023, because Sporting wanted him.
Ivory Coast are vying to be the first team to defend an AFCON title since Egypt won three in a row from 2008 to 2010. They will need their defence to perform to do so, which shows how important Diomande could prove to be.
Liam Tharme
Photo:
Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Ivory Coast
Sporting CP
Group F
Centre-back
Full player profile
This time last year, Diomande was playing college football in the United States. In 2025, he has made his professional debut — against Real Madrid, no less — secured a €20million (£17.5m; $23.3m) move to RB Leipzig, scored two in two for his country and hit a Bundesliga hat-trick.
Few players have ever shot to prominence quite as quickly as the 19-year-old, suddenly one of the most exciting prospects in world football. After leaving the DME Academy in Florida, a sports academy for student athletes, he spent around three months with the reserves at La Liga side Leganes, before he was given his shot in the first team, where it didn’t take long for the Ivorian to make his mark.
In a relentless display against Villarreal, he single-handedly carried his side’s attacking threat from a left-wing-back role, creating five chances and completing nine take-ons. Ten days later came his swan song, and though Leganes were practically already relegated, Diomande’s goal and assist on the final day against Real Valladolid only underlined his frightening potential.
After barely 500 minutes of football in La Liga, he was gone.
And Diomande has shown no signs of slowing down in the Bundesliga this season: only five players have contributed more combined goals and assists, while no one has completed more take-ons. He is quick, slippery, skilful — all of those things that dribbly wingers usually are — but there is also assurance and rhythm to his game, able to bounce between challenges and generate real power with a smooth shooting action.
As we can see from the scatter plot below, only five players across Europe attempt more one-vs-one dribbles per game than Diomande, but his success rate is far superior, pointing to his supreme talent on the ball.
There were some notable omissions from the Ivory Coast squad as they look to retain their Africa Cup of Nations title, with both Nicolas Pepe and Simon Adingra — who assisted both goals in the final — missing out. That’s a huge vote of confidence in Diomande, who has already made quite the habit of stepping up.
Thom Harris
Photo:
Boris Streubel/Getty Images
Ivory Coast
RB Leipzig
Group F
Winger
Full player profile
Catamo has grown into one of Sporting CP’s most consistent players after joining the first team for the 2023-24 season.
The 24-year-old’s career began in Mozambique before a spell at Amora in Portugal led to him joining Sporting’s youth setup. Loan spells at Vitoria Guimaraes and Maritimo helped him develop before he was handed his senior Sporting debut by Ruben Amorim, who converted Catamo into a wing-back.
Catamo went from strength to strength in that position. Although he is a left-footer with a low centre of gravity (he is just 172cm/5ft 6in) who prefers cutting inside, his comfort on his right, close control and pace over short distances make him a threat dribbling on the outside too. His defensive awareness improved because of the demands Amorim’s system placed on him. He can deliver from set pieces, too.
Catamo’s goal return for Sporting (14 in more than 100 games) is not great but he is excellent at attacking the back post. As shown below, he is also a frequent underlapper when his team-mates have the ball — and gets beyond the opposition defensive line to support the attack with his creativity.
Catamo’s intelligent running has been much more evident for Mozambique, whose attack he has led since his debut in 2019 as an 18-year-old. He has 11 goals and five assists in 37 caps and could have a breakout tournament this winter.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Photo:
Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images
Mozambique
Sporting CP
Group F
Winger
Full player profile
No player arrived at the last AFCON on a bigger high than Doumbia. Just 20 years old at the time, the attacking midfielder headed to the tournament fresh off an astonishing four goals in 25 minutes for Brest against Lorient, beginning with an outrageous volley from the edge of the area.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Le 20 décembre 2023, Kamory Doumbia 🇲🇱 est entré dans l’histoire du @SB29 en inscrivant un quadruplé en 25 minutes 👏 ! #OnThisDay#Ligue1Legends#CeJourLapic.twitter.com/d8N6onhqBS
— Ligue 1 McDonald’s (@Ligue1) December 20, 2024
He carried that confidence into the Ivory Coast, finishing the tournament as Mali’s standout performer, including a man-of-the-match display in their 2-1 victory over Tunisia — the infamous match in which referee Janny Sikazwe blew for full time twice, both times before 90 minutes had elapsed.
Doumbia was unable to bring that momentum back into club football in France. Last season brought limited minutes and patchy form, but he has started this one with a flourish, scoring four times in 12 appearances. He has also been in strong form internationally, scoring eight goals in Mali’s World Cup qualifiers, the third-highest total, offering a bright spark in an otherwise disappointing campaign that ended with them missing out on next summer’s tournament.
While his attacking qualities have come to the fore recently, it has been his dogged tenacity out of possession that has stood out this season. He leads Ligue 1’s attacking midfielders for true tackles, a metric that combines tackles won and lost, as well as fouls committed while attempting a tackle, to give a sense of how often a player likes to ‘stick a foot in’, and also ranks highly for interceptions.
In Doumbia, Mali possess an attacking midfielder with bite, and someone they will lean heavily on if they are to reach the latter stages of the competition. Whether he kicks on and develops into a world-class talent remains to be seen, but his habit of peaking as international tournaments begin is a welcome one for his country.
Conor O’Neill
Photo:
Marcel Bonte/Soccrates/Getty Images
Mali
Brest
Group A
Central midfielder
Full player profile
