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16 teams qualify for African Cup of Nations (CAN) 2008.
Last Updated: 10/14/2007 11:12:05 AM
The qualification for the next years African Cup of Nations in Ghana is complete and ClickAfrique takes a look at who made it to next year’s edition of Africa’s greatest football festival. ....
All sixteen qualifers for CAN 2008 decided.
Today’s matches came up with the final qualifier for the African cup of nations, completing the sixteen teams that will fight for supremacy at the next edition of the African Cup of nations , Ghana 2008. We look at the sixteen teams that will make their way to Ghana next year.
Angola : The dream rolls on for the Palancas Negras. Following from a satisfactory debut at the 2006 World Cup, Angola won qualification for the 2008 African Cup of Nations as the top team from Group 6. Qualifying with one match to spare in what turned out to be a relatively easy group.
Benin : Proving once again that their popular sobriquet the Mighty Squirrels isn’t an oxymoron, Benin claimed a last minute qualification. Going into the last match Benin needed to either top Mali and Togo for their group leadership or alternatively pip Uganda for best runner up. With Togo failing to beat Mali at home and Benin beating Sierra Leone 2-0, Benin were through as runners up.
Cameroon: The four times African Champions qualified at a canter from Group 5, winning five of their six matches. Once again Cameroon will be expected to be one of the favourites in the finals in Ghana come January.
Cote d’Ivoire: Runners up at the last edition of the African Cup of Nations in Egypt, debutantes at the World Cup in Germany, the rise of the Didier Drogba led team continues a piece. Again another easy qualification albeit from a group of three after Djibouti withdrew. Beating Gabon 5-0 on aggregate and Madagascar 8-0 their qualification matches were largely a formality.
Egypt : The defending champions left it very late, but managed to grab the last spot of the sixteen available yesterday. Needing a victory to assure qualification the Pharaohs delivered just that, narrowly beating Botswana 1-0 in Cairo. Coach Hassan Shehata can now plot to extend Egypt’s record five victories in the Cup of Nations.
Ghana: Having qualified as hosts Ghana has busied itself with a round of friendlies. However fans of the Black Stars may be somewhat concerned that while their rivals have been battled through the qualification process, Ghana has had to make do with friendlies, and even these haven’t always gone to plan, such as the recent 5-0 mauling at the hands of Saudi Arabia.
Guinea: Football in Guinea is definitely on the up, they’ve reached the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nation in the last two editions and are looking to build on this. The qualifications for CAN 2008 saw them pitted against Algeria, Cape Verde and Gambia. A Paschal Feindouno inspired 0-2 victory against Algeria fired them to an unassailable lead at the top of group.
Mali: A Federic Kanoute inspired 0-2 away victory over Togo assured Mali’s passage to Ghana. Qualifying from one of the tightest groups in the qualification series, Mali victory over Togo and Benin beating Sierra Leone means the competition will not be graced with skills of Arsenal and Togo strike Emmanuel Adebayor, as Mali and Benin ended Togo’s hopes.
Morocco: Another three team group, another easy qualification. Morocco breezed through a group of itself, Zimbabwe and Malawi winning three matches and drawing one to grab one of the first qualification places for Ghana 2008.
Namibia: Namibia’s qualification is probably the story of the qualification series. With next to no pedigree in African football, Namibia topping a group of the Democratic Republic of Congo (two time champions), Ethiopia (one Championship) and Libya is the stuff of which legends are made. Namibia’s Zambian coach Ben Bamfuchile must now be looking forward to taking his young team to the finals in Ghana.
Nigeria : With new coach Berti Vogts brought in midway Nigeria was under pressure to make up for its dismal outing in last World Cup Qualifications. After initial hiccups the Super Eagles ended the dreams of Uganda, Niger and Lesotho, qualifying with a match to spare. Much is expected of Nigeria in Ghana as their two CAN championships seem scant reward for a nation with a seemingly endless source of football talent.
Senegal: Senegal has at times seemed to be still struggling to get over their euphoric debut at the World Cup in 2002. However this time they did what was asked of them and despite struggling to pick up away points they‘ve topped Group 7 and look forward to another chance to win their first continental championship.
South Africa: Ever since their historic victory as the 1996 Cup of Nations , the Bafana Bafana have seemed to be on a slow but steady decline. It was never more apparent than in this qualification series where they were comprehensively beaten 1-3 at home by rivals Zambia and only squeezed ahead of Uganda to qualify as one of the best second place teams. They need a good performance in Ghana to assure their fans that WC 2010 will not be an embarrassment.
Sudan: Another fairy tale for African football. In the dim and distant past Sudan was once a powerhouse of African football, but those were the days when the Nations Cup consisted of three teams. There are signs though that those glory days may be on the way back, the success of Sudanese clubs in African club competitions and the national team imperiously marching to the finals losing only one game and edging out the 2004 champions Tunisia to win the group has certainly raised the expectation of Sudanese public.
Tunisia : The 2004 champions Tunisia were not in a particularly tough group but they hadn’t counted on the renaissance of Sudan. With Mauritius and Seychelles completing the group it ended up a race between Sudan and Tunisia as too who could take the most points and goals of these two. Sudan won but Tunisa grabbed enough points to ensure they got throughto Ghana 2008 as the best group runner up
Zambia : Zambia has long felt they deserve recognition as the best team from Southern Africa. South Africa of recent has also laid claim to that title and the qualification brought the two rivals head to head, with Congo Brazzaville and Chad thrown into the mix. This time though Zambia came up trumps, with a 1-3 victory over the Bafana Bafana ensuring their qualification to Ghana as the Group winners.
The draw for the finals will take place in Accra on October 19.
Last Updated: 10/14/2007 11:12:05 AM
The qualification for the next years African Cup of Nations in Ghana is complete and ClickAfrique takes a look at who made it to next year’s edition of Africa’s greatest football festival. ....
All sixteen qualifers for CAN 2008 decided.
Today’s matches came up with the final qualifier for the African cup of nations, completing the sixteen teams that will fight for supremacy at the next edition of the African Cup of nations , Ghana 2008. We look at the sixteen teams that will make their way to Ghana next year.
Angola : The dream rolls on for the Palancas Negras. Following from a satisfactory debut at the 2006 World Cup, Angola won qualification for the 2008 African Cup of Nations as the top team from Group 6. Qualifying with one match to spare in what turned out to be a relatively easy group.
Benin : Proving once again that their popular sobriquet the Mighty Squirrels isn’t an oxymoron, Benin claimed a last minute qualification. Going into the last match Benin needed to either top Mali and Togo for their group leadership or alternatively pip Uganda for best runner up. With Togo failing to beat Mali at home and Benin beating Sierra Leone 2-0, Benin were through as runners up.
Cameroon: The four times African Champions qualified at a canter from Group 5, winning five of their six matches. Once again Cameroon will be expected to be one of the favourites in the finals in Ghana come January.
Cote d’Ivoire: Runners up at the last edition of the African Cup of Nations in Egypt, debutantes at the World Cup in Germany, the rise of the Didier Drogba led team continues a piece. Again another easy qualification albeit from a group of three after Djibouti withdrew. Beating Gabon 5-0 on aggregate and Madagascar 8-0 their qualification matches were largely a formality.
Egypt : The defending champions left it very late, but managed to grab the last spot of the sixteen available yesterday. Needing a victory to assure qualification the Pharaohs delivered just that, narrowly beating Botswana 1-0 in Cairo. Coach Hassan Shehata can now plot to extend Egypt’s record five victories in the Cup of Nations.
Ghana: Having qualified as hosts Ghana has busied itself with a round of friendlies. However fans of the Black Stars may be somewhat concerned that while their rivals have been battled through the qualification process, Ghana has had to make do with friendlies, and even these haven’t always gone to plan, such as the recent 5-0 mauling at the hands of Saudi Arabia.
Guinea: Football in Guinea is definitely on the up, they’ve reached the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nation in the last two editions and are looking to build on this. The qualifications for CAN 2008 saw them pitted against Algeria, Cape Verde and Gambia. A Paschal Feindouno inspired 0-2 victory against Algeria fired them to an unassailable lead at the top of group.
Mali: A Federic Kanoute inspired 0-2 away victory over Togo assured Mali’s passage to Ghana. Qualifying from one of the tightest groups in the qualification series, Mali victory over Togo and Benin beating Sierra Leone means the competition will not be graced with skills of Arsenal and Togo strike Emmanuel Adebayor, as Mali and Benin ended Togo’s hopes.
Morocco: Another three team group, another easy qualification. Morocco breezed through a group of itself, Zimbabwe and Malawi winning three matches and drawing one to grab one of the first qualification places for Ghana 2008.
Namibia: Namibia’s qualification is probably the story of the qualification series. With next to no pedigree in African football, Namibia topping a group of the Democratic Republic of Congo (two time champions), Ethiopia (one Championship) and Libya is the stuff of which legends are made. Namibia’s Zambian coach Ben Bamfuchile must now be looking forward to taking his young team to the finals in Ghana.
Nigeria : With new coach Berti Vogts brought in midway Nigeria was under pressure to make up for its dismal outing in last World Cup Qualifications. After initial hiccups the Super Eagles ended the dreams of Uganda, Niger and Lesotho, qualifying with a match to spare. Much is expected of Nigeria in Ghana as their two CAN championships seem scant reward for a nation with a seemingly endless source of football talent.
Senegal: Senegal has at times seemed to be still struggling to get over their euphoric debut at the World Cup in 2002. However this time they did what was asked of them and despite struggling to pick up away points they‘ve topped Group 7 and look forward to another chance to win their first continental championship.
South Africa: Ever since their historic victory as the 1996 Cup of Nations , the Bafana Bafana have seemed to be on a slow but steady decline. It was never more apparent than in this qualification series where they were comprehensively beaten 1-3 at home by rivals Zambia and only squeezed ahead of Uganda to qualify as one of the best second place teams. They need a good performance in Ghana to assure their fans that WC 2010 will not be an embarrassment.
Sudan: Another fairy tale for African football. In the dim and distant past Sudan was once a powerhouse of African football, but those were the days when the Nations Cup consisted of three teams. There are signs though that those glory days may be on the way back, the success of Sudanese clubs in African club competitions and the national team imperiously marching to the finals losing only one game and edging out the 2004 champions Tunisia to win the group has certainly raised the expectation of Sudanese public.
Tunisia : The 2004 champions Tunisia were not in a particularly tough group but they hadn’t counted on the renaissance of Sudan. With Mauritius and Seychelles completing the group it ended up a race between Sudan and Tunisia as too who could take the most points and goals of these two. Sudan won but Tunisa grabbed enough points to ensure they got throughto Ghana 2008 as the best group runner up
Zambia : Zambia has long felt they deserve recognition as the best team from Southern Africa. South Africa of recent has also laid claim to that title and the qualification brought the two rivals head to head, with Congo Brazzaville and Chad thrown into the mix. This time though Zambia came up trumps, with a 1-3 victory over the Bafana Bafana ensuring their qualification to Ghana as the Group winners.
The draw for the finals will take place in Accra on October 19.
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