Afcon last 16. The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) group stages have now officially concluded. There have been some huge upsets and extremely unfair games that we have seen.
In light of this, as we move into the knockout phases, 16 teams will compete with one another for the title of Nations Cup. Let’s examine each every encounter.
Namibia versus Angola
This battle between these two well-known rivals ought to be intriguing. Since September 1994, Angola and Namibia have played 12 times, and to be honest, the Namibians did not perform very well in those matches.
In actuality, Angola has never suffered a defeat to Namibia. In the twelve prior encounters between these teams, they had six victories and six draws.
Angola ought to be the favorites to win this match because Pedro Goncalves’ team is presently undefeated in eight games.
Cameroon versus Nigeria
In April 1960, Nigeria and Cameroon played a friendly match for the first time. It should come as no surprise that these two of the most successful teams in the tournament’s history have faced off frequently.
In actuality, this will be these teams’ 26th meeting. With 12 victories, Nigeria’s Super Eagles presently lead the head-to-head. Out of the 25 prior encounters between these two teams, Cameroon emerged victorious five times, with eight ending in draws.
It’s interesting to note that Cameroon didn’t defeat Nigeria in a competitive match until 2000. In the last eight matches between these teams, they have lost five of them.
Equatorial Guinea versus Guinea
Guinea finished third in the infamous Group of Death after a respectable group stage campaign. They’ll be up against Equatorial Guinea, which will be a difficult job.
There are a select handful that have performed better than anticipated, Equatorial Guinea included. They finished first in Group A, holding their own against giants like Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
Since June 2022, the Equatoguineans have gone 13 games without a loss. They will be meeting Guinea for the first time.
DR Congo vs. Egypt
It’s important to remember that these teams played each other for the first time ever in the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations. Similarly, this competition hosted their most recent match, AFCON 2019.
It’s also fair to say that Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not very excited to play each other. In the eight previous meetings between these teams, there have been two draws and six losses, with no victories.
But maybe Sebastien Desabre’s team can pull off their first victory over the Pharaohs, given that Egypt lost all three of their group matches.
Cape Verde Vs Mauritania
These teams met for the first time at the Amilcar Cabral Cup in February 1982.
This will be their twelfth meeting overall. In the 11 prior encounters between these two teams, Cape Verde has prevailed five times. In three of those encounters, there were no winners, with Mauritania coming out on top three times.
It’s also important to note that this will be Mauritania’s first time participating in the tournament’s knockout stages. They will face a Cape Verdean team that was competitive against Ghana and Egypt.
Senegal Vs Ivory Coast
Senegal and Ivory Coast, the hosts and defending champions, have had somewhat different AFCON 2024 campaigns thus far.
Senegal won three out of three games during the group stages, making them the most dominant team. Conversely, Cameroon required assistance to enter on the final day.
This will be these parties’ 26th meeting. With 14 victories, the Ivorians dominated their prior skirmishes. Eight times, Senegal emerged victorious, but in three of their matches, the rewards were divided.
Mali Vs Burkina Faso
Given that Burkina Faso and Mali are adjacent, it is not surprising that they have crossed paths frequently.
In actuality, there were 29 meetings between these teams, 25 of which were friendly encounters.
Nevertheless, Mali has defeated Burkina Faso 14 times; they have drawn four and lost 11 occasions.
Burkina Faso will need to find a way to defeat a Mali team that has won their last ten games.
South Africa versus Morocco
The fact that both teams were placed in the same AFCON 2024 qualification group makes this matchup intriguing.
Seven of these sides’ previous meetings, which number nine, took place in the qualifying rounds or at the AFCON.
Since they have three victories apiece and three draws between them, these teams now have an even head-to-head record. Afcon last 16.
