The 2017 edition will begin saturday, but today (12th january) it's already time for the draw of the next qualifiers! No news on format, seeding...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_qualification has the groups. 51 countries will play in qualifiers, including host Cameroon. There will be 3 two leg series in March to eliminate 3 teams The pairings are Sao Tome and Principe vs. Madagascar, Comoros vs. Mauritius, and Djibouti vs. South Sudan Then there will be 12 groups of 4. The best team in Cameroon's group other than Cameroon will qualify. Wikipedia doesn't say how many second place teams will qualify (depending on where Cameroon finishes), but here are what the scenarios seem to be: Scenario 1: Cameroon wins their group. The 12 group winners (inclduing Cameroon), second place team in Cameroon's group, and best 3 second place teams from the other 11 groups qualify. Scenario 2: Cameroon finishes second. The 12 group winners, Cameroon, and best 3 second place teams from the other 11 groups qualify. Scenario 3: Cameroon finishes third or fourth. The 12 group winners, Cameroon, and best 3 second place teams qualify. This is the only scenario where the second place team in Cameroon's group will compete with the other second place teams. Cameroon is grouped with Morocco, Malawi, and the winner of Comoros vs. Mauritius. The Group Stage will be spread out. Matchday 1 from 5 June to 13 June will be before CAF teams play their next World Cup Qualifiers. Matchday 2 from 19 March 2018 to 27 March 2018 will be the only matchday in between the end of World Cup qualifying and the World Cup. The only two matchdays together will be Matchdays 3 and 4 from 3 September 2018 to 11 September 2018. Matchday 5 will be 8 October 2018 to 16 October 2018. Matchday 6 will be 5 November 2018 to 13 November 2018.
Group A Senegal Equatorial Guinea Sudan São Tomé and Príncipe or Madagascar Group B Cameroon Morocco Malawi Mauritius or Comoros Islands Group C Mali Gabon Burundi Djibouti or South Sudan Group D Algeria Togo Benin Gambia Group E Nigeria South Africa Libya Seychelles Group F Ghana Ethiopia Sierra Leone Kenya Group G RD Congo Congo Zimbabwe Liberia Group H Ivory Coast Guinea Central African Republic Rwanda Group I Burkina Faso Angola Botswana Mauritania Group J Tunisia Egypt Niger Swaziland Group K Zambia Mozambique Guinea-Bissau Namibia Group L Cape Verde Islands Uganda Tanzania Lesotho Draw results.
Kinda wish that there were more qualifiers being played this year. Nigeria is really hurting for matches right now without the AfCoN. Splitting it up they way that they with only one match apparently scheduled until next year is a bit of a puzzling thing. It only gives more wieght to the argument that they could merge AfCoN qualifiers into the WC qualifiers and expand the WC qualifiers overall...
There are three two leg series in March, so the AfCoN 2019 Qualiying Group Stage can't start until June. The FIFA matchdays in late August-early September (2 WCQs), October (1 WCQ), and November (1 WCQ) all have WCQs. The last four WCQs could have been played in two sets of two rather than two, one, and one, but if you take the WCQ schedule as a given, when would you propose the second AfCoN 2019 Qualifying Group Stage matchday be? If the first two matchdays were both in June and the third matchday wasn't moved up, there would be over a year between Matchdays 2 and 3. Should CAF have taken October or November and had teams play qualifiers for two tournaments a few days apart? CAF has three times as many teams qualify for an AfCoN (15 plus a host) than the World Cup, so it might be hard to make one group serve as qualifying for both. One possibility would be 5 groups of 6 (which CAF used to do for WCQs) with the group winners qualifying for the World Cup and the top three in each group (other than the AfCoN host) qualifying for the AfCoN. The AfCoN host would need to play qualifiers if that format was used because the host would want to qualify for the World Cup. If CAF got 8 to 12 World Cup spots (which could happen in a 48 team World Cup), I'd be more supportive of having one group stage be WCQs and AfCoN qualifiers.
Sao Tome and Principe, Mauritius and Djibouti are out of 2019 CAN contention. Huge result by South Sudan, their biggest achievement since independence, they trashed Djibouti 6-0 after 0-2 loss away to qualify and it's their first time to defeat someone in two matches (they defeated Eritrea in 2015 qualification, but Eritrea withdrew before leg 1). Group stage starts in June with 1st matchday (5-13 June).
South Africa with a huge win in Uyo Nigeria. Winning 2-0 ! SA hit the post twice during the game. After going one goal up should have burried the game. Nigeria were in control up until the opener but lost it after conceding. Stuart Baxter starts his second tenure as SA coach with a huge win
Zambia went down 1-0 to Mozambique in the last few minutes of the game. Libya thrashed Seychelles 5-1 yesterday. Other matches still ongoing
Angola lost 3-1 to Burkina Faso Botswana lost 1-0 to Mauritania Sierra Leone defeated Kenya 2-0 Tanzania and Lesotho drew 1-1
South Africa are now 18 games undefeated and haven't lost in over a year and 6 months Heading in the right direction
Huge win for Mozambique, they are in pole-position now considering opponents in group. Mauritania also notched up big win away, shame that there's so long wait between this and next game where they wait Burkina Faso. Angola is trash team these days.
Nigeria never looked in control of the game. As a matter of fact Khune wasn't even forced into any decent save the entire game. IMHO the score could have easily been 3 to 5 - 1 or something.
I watched two games. This one and Burkina Faso vs Angola. Nigeria was controlling the game in the first half, but didn't create much. Actually South Africa had the better goalscoring opportunity. Iheanacho was behind the only two good goalscoring opportunities, but he had no service and isn't a point man. Few lessons from the Nigeria - South Africa game: 1. Nigeria need creativity in midfield - none of Etebo, Onazi or Ndidi is creative. Mikel is a must, movie Iheanacho or Iwobi behind the striker could have done wonders. 2. Iheanacho is not a target man and never will be. Manchester City are trying to make him that. Now Nigeria is. This experiment needs to be halted as it goes against Iheanacho's strengths. 3. Osimhen, Kayode, Success need to be the out and out striker. 4. Awaziem - terrible debut, too early to start in a big game. Omeruo should have started. 5. Akpeyi is a terrible goalkeeper. Nigeria need to test Nwokolor or Alampasu. As for Burkina Faso vs Angola: 1. Aristide Bance is a legend. He may not have had a great club career, but his national team record is beyond astounding. 2. Bertrand Traore is just so good and seems to have added a yard of pace as well. This guy is quality and he should honestly be starting for Chelsea already. Senegal got it really tough with South Africa and Burkina Faso in qualifying for the World Cup. Any of these three teams can make it... They disposed of Zimbabwe with ease yesterday. Quite a few shocks results yesterday... Interested in seeing Ghana today. Kwesi Appiah back at the helm...
Group A SENEGAL vs EQUATORIAL GUINEA 3:0 1', 73' Moussa Sow, 90' Idrissa Gueye SUDAN vs MADAGASCAR 1:3 73' Atahir - 15', 84' Faneva Ima Andriatsima, 62' PG Carolus Andriamahitsinoro Nice freekick goal from Atahir. Group B CAMEROON - MOROCCO 1:0 29' Vincent Aboubakar Abouakar put the Moroccan defender to shame... MALAWI - COMOROS 1:0 31' Gerald Phiri Jr Group C MALI vs GABON 3:1 54; Khalifa Coulibaly, 57' Yves Bissouma - 3' Denis Bouanga BURUNDI - SOUTH SUDAN 3:0 15' Cedric Amissi, 25' Gael Duhayinnavyi, 30' Fiston Abdul Razak
Group E NIGERIA - SOUTH AFRICA 0:2 54' Tokelo Rantie, 82' Percy Tau LIBYA - SEYCHELLES 5:1 23' Mohamed Anis Saltou, 27' PG Ahmad Benali, 45' Hamdou Elhouni, 66' Mohamed Zubya, 84' Muiad Ellafi - 90' Leroy Coralie Group F SIERRA LEONE - KENYA 2:1 22' Julius Wobay, 69' Umaru Bangura - 76' Michael Olunga Group G RD CONGO - CONGO 3:1 I really think RD Congo can be a darkhorse for the World Cup... 20', 54' Cedric Bakambu, 90' Chancel Mbemba - 45' Thievy Bifouma Group H COTE D'IVOIRE - GUINEA 2:3 14', 62' Seydou Doumbia - 32' Sadio Diallo, 66' Francois Kamano, 79' Naby Keita Terrible week for Cote d'Ivoire... Nice to see Doumbia back in the fold. Much underrated player. Still feel he could have had a much more prolific international and club career, but always failed to take his chance for whatever reason... Naby Keita the new king of African football. Best African player this season? Between him and Sadio Mane. Naby Keita created the first and second, then scored the third. Guinea could become a force to be reckoned with if Amadou Diawara decides to join up...
Group I BURKINA FASO - ANGOLA 3:1 22', 42' PG Aristide Bance, 79' Bertrand Traore - 23' Gelson Traore = world class, Bance = legend BOTSWANA - MAURITANIA 0:1 78' Mohamed Soudani Group J NIGER - SWAZILAND 0:0 Interesting to note its one of only two draws of the first round... Group K ZAMBIA - MOZAMBIQUE 0:1 90' Ratifo Zambia need their U20 players Sakala and Daka ASAP! GUINEA BISSUA - NAMIBIA 1:0 23' Edigeison Gomes Group L TANZANIA - LESOTHO 1:1 28' Mbwana Samatta - 35' Thapelo Tale
Todays games: Group D ALGERIA - TOGO BENIN - GAMBIA Group F GHANA - ETHIOPIA Group G ZIMBABWE - LIBERIA Group H CAR - RWANDA Group L CAPE VERDE - UGANDA Tomorrow's game: Group J TUNISIA - EGYPT
Yeah nigeria posed no real threat but they did control the game. They had most of the ball and bossed the tempo of the game. That's is until SA scored the opener But SA overall were the better team as they managed the game well and were more threatening when they attacked
Rough debut week for Marc Wilmots. Too much talent on that roster, especially on defense to be giving up three goals in that fashion.
Yeah. Na me by name the strongest defensive outfit they have ever had. Bailly, Aurier, Kanon, Kessie... How do you lose 8 goals in 2 games with such players?
Zimbabwe with an impressive display and easy 3-0 win over Liberia. Ghana and Ethiopia now playing and still 0-0
South Africa's tactics were clear from the onset. Seat back, keep the shape and only pressurise Nigeria when the get closer to the eighteen area. So naturally Nigeria saw plenty of ball without ever really taking South Africa outside their comfort zone. At no point did they seem to either decide to increase/slow down the tempo of the game. There was plenty of "meaningless" possession which imo was as a result of SA's tactics rather than Nigeria controlling the game.
Look I'm South African myself but even I'm not gonna be this ambitious. South Africa clearly wanted to weather the storm of the first 15 or so minutes. But it was evident that even in the first half SA did try to play but were snuffed out many times by Nigeria because SA were too deep in their own half making it hard to get out. Stuart Baxter admitted as much in the press conference. He openly stated that SA tried to play and use the width of the field but Nigeria stopped them from doing that in the first half. Nigeria initially had most of the ball and dictated the pace of the game (as in they were in control and played at a tempo they liked). However SA were resolute which is why their attacks amounted to nothing. In the second half SA saw more of the ball because Nigeria had to chase the game which allowed the game to be open and SA could open the field and play their normal game. Yes South Africa were the better team, but it was by no means a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination.