Leopards, Lions and Cheetahs lie in wait for Zebras
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday December 19, 2025 14:16
DR Congo
Overview
DR Congo head to Morocco with a mix of experience and young punch. Sébastien Desabre has built a squad heavy on European-based pros and versatile attackers, and on paper, they are one of the tournament’s dark horses if their spine holds.
Head Coach: Sébastien Desabre (France)
Nickname: The Leopards (Les Léopards)
Colours: Blue with red/white trim (home). White (away)
AFCON Appearances: 20
Best Finishes: Champions in 1968 and 1974 (as Congo-Kinshasa / Zaire). They remain two-time winners.
Key Players: Chancel Mbemba (captain), Axel Tuanzebe, Cédric Bakambu, Noah Sadiki
Style of Play: DR Congo typically blends physical forward play with quick wing transitions. Desabre’s selections suggest a pragmatic approach: defend with experienced centre-backs, use pace and individual skill on the flanks and rely on the forwards for clinical moments. One can expect compact defensive blocks that turn quickly into direct counters.
AFCON Prospects: If DR Congo can keep a clean defensive record early, their counterattacking front line makes them very dangerous in one-off knockout ties. Their European experience across the spine gives them tournament toughness, and the x-factor is whether the midfield can control tempo against possession-heavy teams.
Senegal
Overview
Senegal are amongst the favourites, and they are the reigning continental powerhouses who mix star quality with squad depth. The 2025 squad blends veterans with younger, creative talents. The team’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, was promoted to the senior role, and he is backed by the Senegalese football federation for continuity.
Head Coach: Pape (Bouna) Thiaw (Senegal)
Nickname: Teranga Lions (Les Lions de la Teranga).
Colours: White with Green/Red/Yellow national (home). Green (away)
AFCON Appearances: 17
Best Performance: Champions in 2021.
Key Players: Sadio Mané, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Nicolas Jackson, Ismaila Sarr
Style of Play: Senegal are usually compact, defensively solid and strike quickly through transition. Under Thiaw, one can expect pragmatic, well-organised defence, intelligent pressing in midfield and high-quality finishing from quick wide players and a central striker. They’re also disciplined in set pieces.
AFCON Prospects: As 2021 winners, expectations are high. If Senegal find rhythm up front and stay injury-free (their squad includes a few injury-recovering players), they should comfortably challenge for the knockout rounds. The real plus is their depth across defence and midfield, and they can grind out results when games go tight.
Benin
Overview
Benin are seen as a compact, organised underdog. Gernot Rohr’s selection mixes experienced heads (Steve Mounié, Olivier Verdon) with emerging domestic and European talent. Benin are set up to be tough to break down and will seek to nick results on set pieces and transitions.
Head Coach: Gernot Rohr (Germany)
Nickname: The Cheetahs (Les Guépards).
Colours: Red (home)/ White (away).
AFCON Appearances: Five
Best Performance: Quarter-finals (2019)
Key Players: Steve Mounié, Olivier Verdon, Mattéo Ahlinvi, Sessi D’Almeida, Mariano Ahouangbo
Style of Play: Benin are pragmatic: defensive organisation, compact lines, and fast counters. They will aim to frustrate possession sides, force long balls and set-piece opportunities, and rely on Mounié or quick forwards to convert tight chances. Rohr’s teams historically prize structure and discipline.
AFCON Prospects: Benin’s best chance is to be the spoiler: a disciplined defence plus clinical set-piece delivery can upset stronger opponents (they reached the 2019 quarters doing exactly that). In a tough Group D, they will need to be ruthless on the few chances they create.