TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Group F
Defending champions Côte d’Ivoire and Mozambique will meet for a third time at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations when they open their Group F campaign in Marrakech on Wednesday. Kick-off is at 18h30 local time (17h30 GMT).
The sides previously met at the AFCON finals in 1986 and 1996, with Côte d’Ivoire winning both encounters.
Their first clash came at the 1986 tournament, where Côte d’Ivoire claimed a 3-0 victory, with Aboulaye Traoré scoring twice. They met again a decade later at the 1996 AFCON, when a 32nd-minute goal from Joël Tiéhi secured a 1-0 win for the Ivorians.
When paired together in 1986, Côte d’Ivoire progressed to the semi-finals alongside hosts Egypt. In 1996, however, neither side advanced, as Ghana topped the group and Tunisia finished runners-up.
Overall, this is the eighth meeting between the two nations, with Côte d’Ivoire unbeaten, recording five wins and two draws.
PAST MEETINGS
OVERALL
Côte d’Ivoire: P7 W5 D2 L0 GF11 GA2 GD+9
Mozambique: P7 W0 D2 L5 GF2 GA11 GD-9
AFCON ONLY
Côte d’Ivoire: P2 W2 D0 L0 GF4 GA0 GD+4
Mozambique: P2 W0 D0 L2 GF0 GA4 GD-4
PAST AFCON MEETINGS
1986 – Group A (7 March 1986)
Côte d’Ivoire 3 (Traoré 25’, 74’, N’Diri 86’) Mozambique 0
1996 – Group D (8 March 1996)
Côte d’Ivoire 1 (Tiéhi 32’) Mozambique 0
Côte d’Ivoire – Key Statistics
• Making their 26th AFCON appearance• Have reached 11 successive AFCON finals, last missing out in 2004
• Currently on their longest-ever run of successive qualifications
• Have reached four AFCON finals in the 21st century (2006, 2012, 2015, 2023)
• Only Egypt (5) have reached more AFCON finals in the 21st century
• Have played 106 AFCON matches and are two wins away from 50 victories
• Have lost just four of their last 26 AFCON group matches (W15 D7)
• Have won their AFCON opening match 15 times, drawn six and lost four
• Unbeaten in their last 13 AFCON opening matches (W8 D5)
• Last lost an opening match in 1996 against Ghana
• Finished third in their group at AFCON 2023 before going on to win the title
• Emerse Faé became the first coach to take charge during a tournament and win the title
• Their 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in 2023 was their heaviest AFCON defeat
• First team to lose by four goals at a finals and still win the tournament
• First host nation since Egypt in 2006 to win the AFCON title
• Aiming to become the first defending champions since Egypt in 2010 to retain the title
• As defending champions previously, won their opening game in 1994 and drew 0-0 in 2017
• Qualified as group runners-up behind Zambia
• Oumar Diakité and Jean-Philippe Krasso were joint top scorers in qualifying (3 goals each)
Mozambique – Key Statistics
• Making their sixth AFCON appearance
• First qualified in 1986 when Egypt hosted the tournament
• Returned to the finals in 1996 and have since qualified for successive tournaments again
• Have played 15 AFCON matches without recording a win (D4 L11)
• Lost their opening match in 1986, 1996 and 1998
• Drew their opening matches at AFCON 2010 (2-2 vs Benin) and 2023 (2-2 vs Egypt)
• Came back from 2-0 down to draw with Benin in 2010
• Avoided defeat in two group matches at the same AFCON for the first time in 2023
• Scored four goals at AFCON 2023, their highest tally at a single finals
• None of their AFCON matches have ended 0-0
• Finished second in their qualifying group behind Mali
• Recorded home and away wins over Guinea-Bissau in qualifying
• Stanley Ratifo was top scorer in qualifying with three goals
• Ratifo, Reinaldo Mandava, Bruno Langa and Geny Catamo played all six qualifiers
