\n Democratic Republic of the Congo and Benin will kick off their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaigns in a fixture rich in symbolism on Tuesday in Rabat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Benin, this AFCON represents a long-awaited return. Absent from the 2021 and 2023 editions, the Gu\u00e9pards are back among Africa\u2019s elite, driven by memories of their historic 2019 campaign in Egypt. That run, which ended in the quarterfinals, remains the nation\u2019s best-ever performance. One of the key links between past and present is goalkeeper Saturnin Allagb\u00e9, a survivor of that adventure. \u201cThose are great memories,\u201d he reflects. \u201cBut this AFCON is a new story.\u201d<\/p>\n
That new chapter opens against DR Congo, a team Benin have rarely faced in official competition but one that poses an immediate and demanding test. Head coach Gernot Rohr is clear about the approach: steady progress, without limiting ambition. \u201cWe are proud to be at this AFCON\u2014players and staff alike,\u201d he said. \u201cThe first step is to play a good match against DR Congo. Then we will push as far as we can, why not all the way to January 18,\u201d he added, referring to the final.<\/p>\n
Drawn into Group D, Benin face a formidable challenge. Senegal, champions in 2021, DR Congo\u2014third in 2015 and fourth in 2023\u2014and Botswana form one of the tournament\u2019s most competitive groups. In such a context, the opening match against the Leopards carries added weight. A positive result would allow the Gu\u00e9pards to set the tone early and reaffirm that their 2019 success was no coincidence.<\/p>\n
DR Congo arrive with a blend of experience. Morocco 2025 will be the sixth AFCON for captain Chancel Mbemba, the cornerstone of a squad that includes 11 players set to experience the tournament for the first time. It is a clear reflection of head coach S\u00e9bastien Desabre\u2019s transitional approach\u2014refreshing the squad while maintaining a strong backbone.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b24iilb3152.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Desabre also approaches this fixture with a personal touch. His long-standing relationship with Rohr is built on mutual respect, while his connection to Allagb\u00e9 dates back to their time together at Niort. \u201cWe know each other very well,\u201d Desabre noted. \u201cBut once the match starts, only collective performance matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Historically, the Leopards bring considerable pedigree. Since 2000, DR Congo have reached the AFCON finals nine times, with two semifinal appearances in the past 15 years. Their fourth-place finish at the 2023 edition in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire reinforced their reputation as a side capable of going deep into the tournament when balance is achieved.<\/p>\n
Benin, meanwhile, are contesting their fifth AFCON finals. Prior to 2019, they had never progressed beyond the group stage. Since then, expectations have evolved. During the qualifiers for Morocco 2025, the Gu\u00e9pards stood out for their defensive solidity and tactical discipline\u2014hallmarks of Rohr\u2019s teams.
This encounter promises a compelling contrast of styles: DR Congo\u2019s physical power and intensity against Benin\u2019s compact, organized structure.\u00a0
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b25lvss0082.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
WHAT THEY SAID:<\/strong>\u00a0
Gernot Rohr (Benin Coach)<\/strong>:\u00a0\u201cFive players will be suspended for this match: Junior Olaitan, Steve Mouni\u00e9, Andreas Hountondji, Mohamed Tijani and Marcel Dandjinou. But solidarity has always defined this group. This is exactly when it must show itself. These are important absences, but we will compensate collectively, with commitment and fighting spirit. From what I have seen in training, the available players are ready.\u201d<\/p>\nS\u00e9bastien Desabre (DR Congo):<\/strong>\u201cI know Gernot Rohr very well; he is my senior. He tries to put the favorites\u2019 tag on us, but we remain focused on ourselves. Regarding the squad, only Simon Banza will miss out.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b25lvss0095.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Pre-match facts<\/strong>
This will be the third meeting between the two sides, following their encounters in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The first leg in Benin ended 1\u20131, before DR Congo secured a 2\u20130 home victory in the return fixture.\n <\/div>\n\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js<\/a>
\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Published:
Tuesday, 23 December 2025
<!– Umbraco.GetDictionaryValue(“lbl_Share”,”Share”): –> Democratic Republic of the Congo and Benin will kick off their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 campaigns in a fixture rich in symbolism on Tuesday in Rabat.\u00a0 For Benin, this AFCON represents a long-awaited return. Absent from the 2021 and 2023 editions, the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Reunion-memories-and-intersecting-ambitions-in-Rabat.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14334"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14336,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14334\/revisions\/14336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}