TotalEnergies AFCON: Comoros and Gambia, two new babies in the house

For the first time since the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON kicked off in 1957 in Khatourm, Sudan, the Comoros Island and The Gambia have been watching from the fence and fortunately now is their turn to set into the pitches of the flagship continental football tournament to be hosted this time in Cameroon.

The Comoros Island and The Gambia, debuttants in the high profile African football tournament come at a time when tally has been increased to a 24-nation affair and was rather postponed to January 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Knowing the Coelacanths of the Comoros

Little is known of this new baby at the AFCON in terms of football. The Southern African nation had a football federation in 1979 and later joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) only in 2003, and became a FIFA member in 2005.

Comoros qualified for their first major tournament in 2021, after their 0–0 draw with Togo assured them of a place in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The AFCON team counts four appearances on the Southern Africa football tournament, COSAFA Cup with the first participation in 2008 when they reached the quarter-finals.

According to FIFA rankings of May 27, 2021, Comoros is 131st ranked football country in the world.

Knowing The Scorpions of Gambia

Until 1965, the team and the country, were known as British Gambia. The team has never qualified for the World Cup.

Gambia’s Scorpions qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time ever after a slim 1-0 victory over Angola in Banjul.The victory left Gambia at 10 points with a historic ticket to the top flight African football midpoint.

The first biggest football win over registered by Gambia was in October 12, 2002 when Scorpions thrashed Lesotho 6-0 in the West Africa Football Union, WAFU.

On May 14, 1972, Guinea spanked Gambia 8-0 still in the WAFU tournament.

FIFA ranks Gambia as the 152nd footballing nation in the world.

Leone Stars stage a comeback after 26 years of absence.

Sierra Leone was the last country to book a qualification ticket and join the twenty-three others in the journey for the coveted trophy. She overpowered Benin 1-0 in a delayed day-6 qualifier match of the AFCON.

The Leone Stars returned to the continent’s flagship competition for the first time since their second participation in South Africa 1996 with the first in 1994.

Shockingly, the Bafana Bafana of South Africa will not be jetting into Cameroon for the football bonanza after she lost the bet to Sudan in a 1-0 qualifier game.

Mauritania is on this journey for the second time with the last participation in Egypt in 2019.

Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Malawi and Equatorial Guinea are part of the football cruise for the third time each. Most of them have been unable to cross the group stages in their various participations at the AFCON.

Equatorial Guinea ended the run at the fourth place in 2015 while Cape Verde was shown the exit door at the quarter-finals of the 2013 AFCON.

Zimbabwe counts her fifth ever participation this time around but has never sailed past the group stages at the 2004, 2006, 2017 and 2019 tournaments which she has participated in.

Benly Anchunda

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