Head coach of Sudan national team, James Kwesi Appiah has indicated that they will not add up to the numbers at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Falcons of Jediane qualified out of group F that included four time African champions, Ghana, Angola and Niger. The tough journey saw James Kwesi Appiah’s side claw 8 points to finish second, six behind group winners Angola to qualify for the tournament later this year.
Speaking to Ghana based Akoma FM, the one-time manager of the Black Stars of Ghana reiterated his outfit’s resolve to make a great impact at the tournament.
“By God's grace, we have qualified, we will prepare very well and ensure that we have a strong team before the AFCON. As I already stated, any competition we enter we will go all out to win. I don't believe in the idea of taking part in a competition with the mindset that you think you'll be eliminated in the first round. Instead, once you're in, you aim for the cup rather than coming out with nothing.”
“Nothing is impossible in football. Who knew Ivory Coast would win the competition? They were nearly eliminated but they came back to win the AFCON 2023. And as I always say, football has matured and no team should be underestimated.”
Sudan’s best performance in the last five AFCON's was a quarterfinal place finish at the 2012 tournament co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. They missed four straight subsequent tournaments hosted by South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Egypt.
They finished in the group stage of the 2021 AFCON hosted in Cameroon before failing to pick a ticket for the last edition held in Ivory Coast. The qualification is a feather in James Kwesi Appiah’s cap as it went a long way to calm nerves and tension in the war-torn region of the continent.
The 2025 AFCON tournament is scheduled to begin on December 21, 2025, and the final will take place on January 18, 2026.
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