AFCON 2025: African coaches headline the semifinals!
For the third successive edition, the AFCON trophy will be lifted by an African coach as teams coached by non-African mentors are out.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) resumes on Wednesday with the two semifinals played on the same day.
The first semifinal will see Senegal take on Egypt at Grand Stade de Anger.
Kick-off is at 19:00 SA time.
The other semifinal clash will be between Nigeria and hosts Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Kick-off is at 22:00 SA time.
Also read | AFCON 2025: Nigeria’s Osimhen in the news AGAIN, but this time, for good reasons!
AFCON 2025: AFRICAN COACHES TO FACE OFF
Now, when the 35th edition of AFCON got underway on 21 December, only 10 of the 24 coaches at the tournament were Africans.
However, things quickly changed at the quarterfinal stage with African coaches dominating.
Six of the eight quaterfinalists were African while there were only two non-African mentors – Tom Saintfiet (Mali) and Vladimir Petkovic (Algeria).
Now, with the semifinals, Africa has taken full control of the AFCON tournament, and it guaranteed that an African coach will lift this year’s trophy.
In fact, the last two editions of AFCON were won by African coaches, and they are Aliou Cissé with Senegal in 2021 and Ermese Fae with Ivory Coast in 2023.
WHICH AFRICAN COACHES ARE STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT?
- Pape Thiaw (Senegal)
- Eric Chelle (Nigeria)
- Hossam Hassan (Egypt)
- Walid Regragui (Morocco)