With the World Cup being held in Africa, it will be the perfect time for Africa’s national teams to showcase their extraordinary talents. These upcoming matches will be the opening round of the final stage of African qualifiers and the big question is: Will there be a repeat of 2006 when 4 African countries made their 1st appearance in The Great Tournament?
20 nations will begin their quest on March 28th to join South Africa in The Great Tournament also at stake is a place in the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola. The Top 3 finishers in each group will qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
The marquee matchup is in Group A as Togo host Cameroon. Togo will be the home side although the match will be played in the Ghanian capital of Accra. Togo is serving a home ban so it really is a neutral site game. This game features an enticing matchup of two African Players of the Year. Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor vs. Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o. Adebayor, the 2008 African Player of the Year for Arsenal will play after recovering from a thigh injury while 3-time African POY Samuel Eto’o is in devastating form for Barcelona. Don’t be surprised if there are a lot of goals scored in the game, it should be fun to watch.
Two teams to watch are Egypt & Mali. Egypt are the back to back African champions and have the best club side in Africa in Al-Ahly and yet The Pharoahs have only qualified twice for the World Cup, last time was Italy 1990. Egypt has the talent and organization to win a shorter tourney like the African Cup of Nations but can they sustain the excellence needed to qualify for the World Cup.
Mali have never qualified for a World Cup, this could be the year they do. There is Malian talent spread all over Europe with names like Real Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra, Barcelona’s Seydou Keita, Sevilla’s Frederic Kanoute, and Juventus’ Mohammed Sissoko. The Eagles are coached by former Nigerian international Stephen Keshi who led Togo to its 1st WC appearance in 2006. The Malians are hoping that their talent & Keshi’s magic can take them to South Africa, however Mali are in a fight being in the same group as heavily favored Ghana.
Here are the groups and their matches – home teams are listed first – team nicknames are in parenthesis:
GROUP A – CAMEROON, GABON, MOROCCO, TOGO
Saturday, March 28
In Accra, Ghana – Togo (The Sparrow Hawks) vs. Cameroon (Indomitable Lions)
Morocco (Lions of the Atlas) vs. Gabon (Azingo Nationale)
GROUP B – KENYA, MOZAMBIQUE, NIGERIA, TUNISIA
Saturday, March 28
Kenya (Harambee Stars) vs. Tunisia (The Eagles of Carthage)
Sunday, March 29
Mozambique (The Mambas) vs. Nigeria (Super Eagles)
GROUP C – ALGERIA, EGYPT, RWANDA, ZAMBIA
Saturday, March 28
Rwanda (Amavubis) vs. Algeria (The Desert Foxes)
Sunday, March 29
Egypt (The Pharaohs) vs. Zambia (Chipolopolo)
GROUP D – BENIN, GHANA, MALI, SUDAN
Saturday, March 28
Sudan (The Desert Hawks) vs. Mali (The Eagles)
Sunday, March 29
Ghana (The Black Stars) vs. Benin (The Squirrels)
GROUP E – BURKINA FASO, COTE D’IVOIRE, GUINEA, MALAWI
Saturday, March 28
Burkina Faso (The Stallions) vs. Guinea (Syli Nationale)
Sunday, March 29
Côte d’Ivoire (Les Éléphants) vs. Malawi (The Flames)
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