Which team is best placed to win the 34e edition of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), which begins Saturday January 13 in Abidjan? Senegal, title holder? Morocco, heroic semi-finalist of the last World Cup? Ivory Coast, host country and winner of the CAN in 2015? Egypt, seven-time winner of the competition since its creation? The Décoders evaluated each of the twenty-four teams contending for the title, giving them a score from 0 to 10 based on six criteria.
The strengths and weaknesses of each team
Divided into six groups (from A to F), the teams will play three group matches between January 13 and 24 to try to qualify for the final stages. The first two in each group and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16 of the competition.
Which favorite according to which criterion?
Status according to the FIFA ranking: Morocco at the top
Given its exceptional performance during the last World Cup in Qatar, Morocco appears to be one of the big favorites to lift the African trophy on February 11. In the FIFA rankings, the Atlas Lions are at the top of the African teams with 1,668 points, ahead of Senegal (1,594 points) and Tunisia (1,523 points). The Gambia (126e world, with 1,140 points) acts as “little thumb” in this CAN.
Offensive efficiency: Nigeria at the forefront
It was the Nigerians who were the most prolific in front of goal during the qualifying phase for this CAN, with an average of 3.7 goals scored per match. On the offensive level, the team led by striker Victor Osimhen, African Ballon d’Or 2023, is well ahead of Mali (2.5 goals per match) and the three other nations which have an average of two goals per match (Zambia, Senegal and Morocco). In this sector of play, the Tanzanians were the worst performers, with only three goals scored in six matches during qualifying for this tournament.
Defensive solidity: the Tunisian fortress
To protect its cages, the Tunisian defense particularly stood out during the qualifying phase, with an average of only 0.2 goals conceded per match, just ahead of Algeria and Mali (0.3 goals conceded per match). . By conceding 1.5 goals per game during the qualifying phase, Mozambique is currently the most fragile team defensively.
The level of the workforce: a four-star Senegal
Despite the departures during the summer of 2023 to Saudi Arabia of three major players playing in Europe – Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy – Senegal remains the team with the most players under contract in the five biggest European championships. With 19 names out of 27, the Senegalese selection exceeds that of Morocco (15 out of 27) and Algeria (13 out of 25). In contrast, the squads of South Africa, Namibia, Mauritania and Tanzania do not include any players playing in these elite championships.
Individual awards: the Senegalese covered in gold
By adding the international trophies (CAN, Champions League and Europa League) won by the players of each team, the last winner of the CAN, Senegal, has the most successful squad in the competition. With a collective total of 17 major trophies (15 African champion medals and two Champions League), the Lions of Teranga surpass Algeria and their thirteen cumulative prestigious victories (twelve winners of CAN 2019 and one winner of the Champions League). Conversely, sixteen of the twenty-four teams competing in this competition do not have any players who have won a title at this level during their career.
The collective experience: Algerians who know each other by heart
Riyad Mahrez and his teammates have a total of 869 matches in the national team, making them the most experienced group to tackle this 34e edition of the CAN. Accustomed to playing together for several years under the Fennecs jersey, the Algerians are also a certain number (12 out of 26) to have already won this tournament in 2019 under the orders of coach Djamel Belmadi, still in office. Behind Algeria are Tunisia (804 cumulative A team selections) and Egypt (785). In last place, we find Guinea-Bissau, with only 256 caps for all of its players.