For many countries that missed the 2026 World Cup, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which begins in Morocco on December 21, offers not only a quick chance for some degree of redemption, but also a chance to begin rebuilding and preparing for the next time the global tournament is held in 2030.
Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Benin, Sudan and other teams will stay at home next summer, even though Africa has increased its allocation for next summer’s World Cup from five to nine automatic places in 2022. However, they will all be in Morocco.
Zimbabwe faces a tough challenge
There are 24 teams competing in the AFCON, which means the competition is fierce. But success over the next few weeks – whether it means lifting a trophy or simply getting out of the group stage – will at least put a smile back on the fans’ faces.
“It’s huge,” Zimbabwe international Brendan Galloway, who plays for Plymouth Argyle in England, told DW. “We are really looking forward to it. We worked very hard in the qualifiers, we had a tough group. So to qualify, we are excited to get there. Hopefully, a lot of Zimbabweans can join us and support us.”
Being placed alongside Egypt, the most successful AFCON nation with seven titles, as well as South Africa and Angola, teams who – unlike Zimbabwe – have World Cup experience, means it is going to be tough. Getting past the group stage for the first time would be a huge step in the right direction, especially as Zimbabwe, banned by FIFA in 2022 due to government interference, was unable to compete in the last AFCON.
Galloway said, “We have a tough group, but we’re excited about our chances of progressing. The next step is we want to qualify for the World Cup.” “We had a disappointing campaign but we learned a lot of lessons from it. If we’re proud of ourselves, we can build confidence going into the next World Cup qualifying and really push on.”
According to former Sudan and Rwanda head coach Stephen Constantine, this is the plan for many countries. “Teams should be prepared to use AFCON as a kind of interview before the World Cup,” Constantine told DW. “If you can qualify regularly and make the last eight on a regular basis then you are laying the foundation for qualifying for the World Cup.”
Looking towards the 2030 World Cup and beyond
Burkina Faso came much closer to the World Cup than Zimbabwe, winning six out of 10 games in qualifying but finishing second to Egypt. Despite collecting more points overall than Nigeria, the Stallions did not make the playoffs as one of the four best runners-up because the Confederation of African Confederation (CAF) did not count results against the bottom-placed teams in each group due to Eritrea’s withdrawal. This meant that the team missed out on Nigeria as it scored one goal too few.
“A successful tournament will make everyone feel better,” Vincenzo Anez, technical director of the Burkina Faso federation, told DW. “This could be a good step, we could move towards qualification for the 2030 World Cup which would be amazing for our future.”
The team reached the final of the 2013 tournament and the Italian believes it can return to such heights. “We have a lot of talent,” he said, specifically referring to 16-year-old Mohammed Zongo, who was signed by English Premier League powerhouse Chelsea in December. There was also an encouraging performance at the Under-17 World Cup in November when the team reached the quarter-finals.
pioneers
Recovering from World Cup failure may be difficult. Chaos has erupted in Cameroon with former Barcelona, Inter and Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o, now head of the federation, removing Mark Bryce as head coach, while the sports ministry insists the Belgian is still in the post.
This is one of the reasons why Anise believes Nigeria can go all the way.
“Nigeria has amazing players like Morocco and Algeria and a very good team.”
He expects Nigeria to improve as the team has time to train and build cohesion in tournament conditions.
“In the World Cup [qualification]There was lack of organization. AFCON could be a good way for them to stay together for more days because they are an international team and it is not easy for everyone to stay together, be strong and stay together for the future.”
Nigeria aims for the trophy
The Super Eagles are already rebuilding and there is more at stake for Nigeria than perhaps any other team. Coach Eric Chele knows what he must do in the coming weeks.
“Nigeria aims to win at this year’s AFCON.” Nasiru Jibril, deputy technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation, told DW.
“We were finalists last year. Nothing will satisfy us except winning AFCON. I really think a win will boost Nigeria’s morale.”
In the most heartbreaking circumstances, Nigeria failed to qualify for 2026. The team finished one point behind South Africa in their group to advance to the playoffs, and then lost in a penalty shootout to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The road to 2030 has already begun. “From the list of players invited by the head coach, you will definitely know that he is rebuilding the team for 2030.” Jibril said.
He cited the example of captain William Truist-Ekong who retired from his international career after the Congo defeat.
“Some players are on their way out now, like the captain who has just retired and I am sure there will be other players too after AFCON. Nothing would be more beneficial to them than winning AFCON for Nigeria before they retire.”
Edited by: Matt Pearson