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Can Nicolas Jackson lead Senegal to glory?
Cape Argus
|December 18, 2025
SENEGAL, Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Botswana clash in a mix of giants and underdogs at AFCON 2025.
Senegal head into the tournament as favourites, DRC bring a talented squad to challenge, while Benin and Botswana will be looking to cause surprises and make their mark on the continental stage.
SENEGAL
CAF Ranking: 2nd
Coach: Pape Thiaw
Player to watch: Nicolas Jackson
Best performance: Champions 2021
Tournament prediction: Semifinals
The Lions of Teranga are hot favourites to win a second title, going into the tournament with an impressive world record run of 22 unbeaten matches. This could well be Sadio Mané’s swansong on the biggest continental stage, and the former Liverpool superstar would love nothing more than to bow out in glory.
It is doable, given just how strong the Senegal squad is, teeming with players plying their trade in Europe's biggest leagues. Nicolas Jackson is expected to shine for the country as he has for his club, but he is just one of a star-studded lineup capable of denying hosts Morocco a home victory—their only previous triumph was in 1976.
DR CONGO
CAF Ranking: 9th
This story is from the December 18, 2025 edition of Cape Argus.
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