GROUP D

This week, Box 18 is looking at the chances of teams in Group D of tournament. The group have only a former champion, Algeria among others like Angola, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. Two teams are expected to emerge from the group for the second round. Our analysis is  based on their past records and current ratings. 

ANGOLA (PALANCAS NEGRAS) 

The Angola Men Football team is ranked 116 on FIFA current ranking as at 26 October 2023. Their 
highest ranking was 45 attained in July 2000. 

Their first international football match was a  3–2 lost to Congo. The match was played in Brazzaville, Congo on  8 February 1976. 

Angola's only World Cup
appearance was  in 2006, where they could not go beyond the group stage 

Palancas Negras first qualified  for the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996. They have appeared in the tournament 8 times, within which they qualified for the quarter-finals in 2008 and 2010. 

Their greatest accomplishment was qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, their only World Cup to date.

On the chances of winning the AFCON trophy in Cote d'ivore, Angola is rated 4 over 10.

MAURITANIA (LIONS OF CHINGUETTI) 

The Mauritania national football team  have not qualified for the FIFA World CUP before .

 However, in the Amílcar Cabral Cup, a regional tournament for West Africa, Mauritania came fourth in 1980 on hosting the competition. They were runners-up in 1995, losing on penalties to Sierra Leone after the final finished 0–0.

On FIFA ranking, they are currently number 101 which they attained on 26 October 2023. Their highest ever was number 81 which was attained in July 2017. 

Mauritania first international match was against Malagasy Republic which they won by 5–1. The match was played inAbidjan, Côte d'Ivoire;  on 25 December 1961. 

They have appeared at the Africa Cup of Nations twice, with the first been in 2019, and again in 2021.

It was historic in the country on 18 November 2018, when Mauritania qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in history, after they won 2–1 against Botswana to seal a spot in the 2019 tournament.

The Mauritanias has 2 over 10  chances of winning the AFCON in Cote d'ivore come 2024.

BURKINA FASO (STALLIONS) 

The Burkina Faso National team were formerly known as the Upper Volta national football team until 1984, when Upper Volta became Burkina Faso.

 They finished fourth in the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations, when they hosted the tournament. Their best ever finish in the tournament was the 2013 edition where they played in the final.

On FIFA ranking, they are currently number 56 as at 26 October 2023. Their highest ever ranking was 35 which they attained in April–May 2017. 

Burkina Faso, then known as Upper Volta played their first international match on 14 April 1960 against Gabon in Tananarive, Madagascar, which they won by 5 goals to 4.

Burkina Faso has appeared at the Africa Cup of Nations 13 times with the first being in 1978. They were Runners-up in South Africa in 2013. 

After making their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1978, they did not qualify again  until 1996 that they returned to the biennial tournament. They subsequently qualified for five consecutive tournaments between 1996 and 2004, reaching the semi-finals under coach Philippe Troussier when the tournament was held on home soil in 1998.

Burkina Faso played in Group B of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Ghana and Ivory Coast in a three-team group due to Togo's withdrawal. Although they drew their first match against Ivory Coast and needed just a draw against Ghana to progress, the Burkinabe lost 1–0 and failed to qualify for the knock-out stage of the tournament.Burkina Faso took part in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, losing all three of their matches and subsequently firing coach Paulo Duarte.Belgian coach Paul Put was announced as new coach in March 2012.Burkina Faso finished first of their group, but lost to Nigeria in the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

The team would earn third place at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Stallions of Burkina Faso first entered the World Cup in the 1978 qualifying tournament, beating Mauritania in the preliminary round before losing 1–3 against Ivory Coast. They next entered World Cup qualifying in 1990, losing in the first round to Libya 2–3. Burkina Faso withdrew from the 1994 competition but returned in 1998, beating Mauritania again to make it to the final qualifying group stage, however they failed to obtain a single point, finishing bottom of their group. They beat Ethiopia in 2002 to again make it to the qualifying group stage, but did not advance, only winning one game against Malawi.

The team had a strong showing in the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, reaching the final round of qualifying where it faced Algeria. It won 3–2 in Ouagadougou, but lost 1–0 in Blida. Despite the 3-3 aggregate, Burkina Faso narrowly missed out on the 2014 World Cup due to the away goals rule.

In the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, Burkina Faso has 5 over 10 chances of winning the trophy for the first time. 

ALGERIA (DESERT FOXES) 

The  Algeria Football Federation joined FIFA on 1 January 1964, a year and a half after gaining independence. They are the current champions of the FIFA Arab Cup.

 In FIFA ranking, they are currently ranked 33 as at 26 October 2023 and their highest ranking ever was 15th attained on October 2014

Algeria played their first international match against Bulgaria in Algiers, Algeria on 6 January 1963 which they won by two goals to one. 

The Desert Foxes have been to the World Cup
Four times with the first been  in 1982. Their best result was a round of 16 appearance in 2014. The North African team were also at 1986, and 2010 editions. 

At the Africa Cup of Nations, they have 
appeared  twenty times with the first been in 1968. They were Champions in 1990, and 2019. Their first AFCON win was in 1990 when Algeria hosted and again in Egypt in 2019. 

The Algerians biggest victory was their 2–1 win against West Germany during the 1982 FIFA World Cup in which the African nation shocked the world. Algeria has produced many talented players throughout time and is considered one of the best teams in African football history. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Algeria became the first African team to score at least four goals in a match at a World Cup, which was against South Korea.

Algeria is one of the possible teams  to win the AFCON 2024 in Cote d'ivore. They are rated six over ten.