ABIDJAN (Reuters) – This article provides an overview of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Mauritania
Mauritania’s Africa Cup of Nations record includes two previous appearances in the finals, in 2019 and 2021. Their best performance so far has been reaching the group phase of the tournament. They have been drawn in Group D, which includes Algeria, Angola, and Burkina Faso.
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The team’s coach is Amir Abdou, a 51-year-old social worker from Marseille. He was initially asked to assist the Comoros side in 2014, but he later took over as head coach. Abdou also led the small island nation’s team to their first-ever Cup of Nations finals appearance, where they upset Ghana. He then became Mauritania’s coach and is returning for a second successive tournament. Abdou started his coaching career in French amateur football.
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The team’s key player is Aboubakary Koita, a 25-year-old forward. Koita, born in Senegal, was persuaded to play for Mauritania, where his mother was born, after facing stiff competition for a call-up from Senegal. His addition to the squad is a significant boost for Mauritania, as there are not many players competing at the top flight level in Europe.
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Mauritania’s FIFA world ranking as of December 2023 was 105. They qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations as the second-placed team in Group I, behind the Democratic Republic of Congo but ahead of Gabon and Sudan.
Mauritania’s squad includes a mix of players from different clubs, with notable names such as Aboubakary Koita, El Hadji Ba, and Bakary Ndiaye.
(Compiled by Mark Gleeson, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
