AFCON 2025: All you need to know about Gabon
The team from Gabon could be a thorn in this Africa Cup of Nations. The selection led by Thierry Mouyouma arrives in full confidence after a rather promising elimination campaign at the 2026 World Cup despite not qualifying. A great series, the offensive force, the history at the AFCON, here is everything you need to know about the selection of Gabon.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
The country
Capital: Libreville
Area: 267 667 km2
Population: 2,397,368
Official language: French
Inhabitants: Gabonese/ Gabonese
Motto: Union, Work, Justice
Team nickname: The Panthers
Gabon and the AFCON
Title: 0
Final: 0
Participations before AFCON 2025: 8
Host Country: 2012 - 2017
Course at the AFCON
1994: eliminated in the first round
1996: eliminated in 1⁄4 of final
2000: eliminated in the first round
2010: eliminated in the first round
2012: eliminated in 1⁄4 of the final
2015: eliminated in the first round
2017: eliminated in the first round
2021: eliminated in 1⁄8 of the final
Assessment at the AFCON
23 matches played
7 victories
8 nuls
8 defeats
24 goals scored
30 goals conceded
Aubameyang's last chance?
At 36 years old, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is probably living his last international campaign with the Gabonese team. The emblematic captain of the Panthers has never yet experienced any great success with the national team. The fault lies in a lack of group cohesion that he never managed to stimulate, he has been the leader of this team for 10 years. But a sense of unity has been brewing for a year and a half in the Den of the Panthers.
For his 4th AFCON, the best scorer in the history of the Gabonese national team (39 goals in 81 caps), has the opportunity to guide a talented and experienced group with Ecuele-Manga, André Poko and especially Denis Bouanga. The latter is already more than a lieutenant for Aubame. PEA arrives in full load with his recent performances with Olympique de Marseille. The former Arsenal striker has made a thunderous first part of the season in club but also with the national team with 12 goals and 8 assists in just 20 games in all competitions.
Mouyouma to finally break the glass ceiling
Appointed interim coach of Gabon in October 2023, Thierry Mouyouma has since been confirmed at the head of the Panthers. The 50-year-old technician has managed to put his paw on a radiating team for 18 months. Gabon comes out of a beautiful 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2nd place in the group, failing by a hair to win the first qualification in the country’s history. Bruno Ecuele-Manga’s teammates have won 8 of their 10 matches in these qualifiers and finish one point behind Côte d'Ivoire.
Results totally attributable to the technician born in Franceville. The former Gabonese international central defender (82 caps) managed to establish a group discipline espoused by his leaders Aubameyang, Bouanga or even l-Lemina. Gabon will be able to rely on their offensive pair Bouanga-PEA, spearheads of an attack that planted 22 goals in 10 matches during the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Already 6 times scorer in 3 editions, Aubameyang will try to increase this total to help Gabon finally reach the quarter-final stage in 8 appearances.