After the draw confirming the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying groups, a tournament-winning coach reflected on the strength of teams on the continent.
Emerse Fae led the Ivory Host to their third continental triumph earlier, winning the competition as hosts earlier this year after beating Nigeria 2-1 in the final.
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Now, however, the Elephants will have to begin the arduous task of attempting to defend their title. Their first objective will be to qualify for the next tournament that will be hosted by Morocco.
With 24 spots up for grabs, the path to the 35th edition of the competition became clear for the Ivory Coast, as well as the 47 other African nations.
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The Elephants were drawn in Group G with Zambia, Sierra Leone and Chad at the draw in South Africa that CAF hosted on Thursday afternoon.
Reacting to the draw, Fae stated that he was satisfied with the opponents, as it gives him and his side the opportunity to exact revenge on one of the nations.
"I am satisfied because we will play against Zambia, a team that we know very well. During our last qualifying campaign, we lost 3-0 against them [in June 2023]," the coach told CAF per Afrik-Foot.
"We know what mistakes we must not repeat against them, to beat them. I am also satisfied because I did not want to have countries geographically far from Côte d'Ivoire," he added.
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"That said, in Africa, there are no more small teams. All the teams will want to challenge us because we are the reigning champions.