AFCON 2025: Group B Preview

Egypt – South Africa: Nature is thirsty for a revenge
Impossible to talk about this match without diving back into 2019. Cairo, more than 60,000 spectators, and this deafening silence after the strike by Thembinkosi Lorch. South Africa had just eliminated Egypt at home, in the eighth final, in what remains one of the biggest shocks in recent AFCON history.

Six years later, nature is thirsty for a revenge at least. The context is different, the stakes less brutal, but the weight of the past is still there. Egypt – South Africa, it’s a fixture that never becomes trivialized. The two teams started their tournament well and arrive with full confidence. A second success would open the way to the next round.

On the Egyptian side, the victory snatched from Zimbabwe (2-1) was a reminder that this team knows how to suffer. Mohamed Salah was again present in the additional time, but Hossam Hassan has no illusions about the difficulty of the upcoming meeting.

 “South Africa is very strong. We respect them. They are among the tournament favorites. They play fast and short, but we have plans to contain them",

 warned the coach. A slight doubt hangs over Mohamed Hamdi, who was out in the first match, but Egypt has an experienced squad. And then, for Hossam Hassan, this duel has a particular flavor: he was part of the team crowned against South Africa in the final of the AFCON 1998.

In the South African camp, trust is very real. Hugo Broos knows the African finals better than anyone and has not forgotten that he beat Egypt with Cameroon in 2017. 

« We are excited to play against Egypt. Seven-time champions, with incredible players like Salah or Marmoush, but we have confidence in our team,"

he said. On the field, Lyle Foster will be the man to watch. Already decisive against Angola with a goal and an assist, the striker embodies the ambition of a group that assumes its objectives. 

"Morale is very high. A victory would bring us closer to the eighth. We have our standards to maintain," he assures.

The numbers speak for South Africa: unbeaten in its last six matches against Egypt (four wins, two draws). Enough to feed a little more the intensity of a shock where history, pride and qualification intersect.

Angola – Zimbabwe: Southern derby day
Here, no glorious memories. Angola – Zimbabwe already looks like a cut-off game, while we are only on the second day. Both teams lost their opening match, but without being ridiculous. In such a tight group, the time for regrets is already over. Angola, beaten despite several clear opportunities, oscillates between frustration and lucidity.

Patrice Beaumelle refuses the alarmist speech and bets on adjustments. 

“We have shown good things in the face of a strong team. At this level, it is the details that make the difference,"

 he explained, insisting on efficiency in decisive areas. Same thing with Jonathan Buatu, a pillar of defense.

 “Our performance was not bad. The important thing is to preserve what we have done well and to correct our mistakes.”

 The Palancas Negras know, however, that a new setback would seriously complicate their future in the competition. The pressure is there and mental management will be decisive.

In the face, Zimbabwe advances without complex but with the urgency of a group already under tension. Beaten in the final minutes of their first game, the Warriors showed solid organization and real intensity. Marian Marinica calls to turn the page without denying identity.

 « In this group, all teams still have their chance. The past is behind us, we must look to the future",

says the coach.

Captain and midfielder leader, Marvelous Nakamba embodies this combative mindset. 

« We analyzed our first match. Everything is now focused on this meeting. We want to achieve a positive outcome," 

he assures. 

Historically, Angola started with a slight advantage, especially during the AFCON qualifiers and the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. But in this specific context, the story will weigh less than the intensity of the moment. On Friday, one of the two teams will breathe a little better. The other will know that the competition can sometimes be played very early.