2026 World Cup (Q) - Sébastien Desabre: "Getting off to a good start"
Sébastien Desabre, the French coach of the Leopards, believes his side will need to handle the first two matchdays well
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Sport News Africa: We hear you weren't exactly thrilled about the scheduling of the match against Mauritania on 15 November at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa…
Sébastien Desabre : My main concern is the possible impact on the players' health. Let me explain: the match was scheduled for 15 November by FIFA. Now, I can only speak for DR Congo, but it may well be the same for the other national teams playing on that date: some players played games for their clubs on Saturday and arrived in Kinshasa on Tuesday morning after an overnight flight. So we will have had only one normal team training session, on Tuesday! The players already have a heavy schedule, travelling to Africa is not always easy, and with matches scheduled this early, we are gambling with the footballers' health.
Do you feel your team will be short of preparation?
Sébastien Desabre: You have to adapt. I would have liked one or two more days to work with my squad, but fortunately we were able to prepare in advance with the camp in Spain and Portugal in October, with two friendlies against New Zealand (1-1) and Angola (0-0). And we have been working together for more than a year now, so we know each other. There is shared experience.
Your team is billed as Senegal's main rival in this Group B of the World Cup qualifiers. Do you accept that status?
Sébastien Desabre: It's a tough group, with Senegal, the reigning African champions, as favourites. There are also some very good, solid teams, such as Mauritania, Togo and Sudan, while South Sudan have improved a great deal. But yes, we do have a part to play. The team is confident; it qualified for the AFCON despite being bottom after two matchdays. The players have worked well and they have ambition…
"We'll take stock after five matches"
Hence the importance of these first two matches…
Sébastien Desabre: Yes, they are important, but obviously not decisive. There are ten matches on the schedule, spread over more than two years. That's a long time. A lot can happen… We will obviously be focused on that first match against Mauritania, as we want to win it in front of our own fans. And then we will turn our attention to the one against Sudan. We want to get off to a good start. We will assess where we stand after five matches. Together with the players, we have set a points target for these qualifiers.
Is the AFCON already on the players' minds?
Sébastien Desabre: Of course it is on their minds, but not during this international window. Only the two upcoming matches matter. We will really think about the AFCON afterwards. Of course, there are still places up for grabs and places to lose in the two November matches, for which I was able to select 26 players, whereas there will only be 23 for the AFCON…
Alexis BILLEBAULT