A former Angola star has expressed confidence in his nation's chances at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, after the side were drawn in the same group as South Africa and Egypt.
The tournament, set to be hosted by Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, sees Angola placed in Group B alongside The Pharaohs, Bafana Bafana, and Zimbabwe.
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Speaking to Kooora, Fabrice Alcebiades Maieco, who is famously known as 'Akwa', highlighted the stiff competition in their group.
"I think the group is complicated if we look at the history of two teams that have previously won the African Championship title (Egypt and South Africa)," he remarked.
However, the former player remains optimistic about his nation's prospects, drawing confidence from their recent performances.
"The Angolan team is capable of performing well if it plays as a team, as we did in the previous Africa Cup of Nations and the qualifiers for this edition," he said.
Angola's qualification campaign for the 2025 AFCON was nothing short of impressive.
The Palancas Negras finished top of Group F, amassing 14 points with four wins and two draws in six matches, ahead of Sudan, Niger, and Ghana. This dominant showing has set high expectations for their performance in Morocco.
Akwa also reflected on the team's strong showing at the 2023 AFCON, where they emerged as surprise packages.
The side topped Group D and advanced to the quarter-finals, only to be narrowly beaten by eventual finalists Nigeria.
"Our team finished the AFCON qualifiers without defeat and came first in its group, which gives us confidence in competing to qualify for the next round.
"I think the competition will be fierce between three teams: Egypt, South Africa, and Angola."
He also cautioned against underestimating the Warriors, predicting they could be a dark horse in the group.
"The Zimbabwean team may be the surprise of the group and may complicate things for the rest of the teams.
"I expect exciting matches in this group, and the opportunity will be available to everyone."
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