Angola will hope to progress beyond the quarter-finals for the first time when they compete at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Here is a quick guide to their Cup of Nations challenge.
Previous appearances in finals: (8) 1996, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2019
Best performance: Quarter-finalists 2008, 2010
Drawn in Group D with Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.
Coach: Pedro Goncalves
The 47-year-old moved from coaching at the academy at Portuguese side Sporting to set up a similar project in Angola and from there was invited to take charge of Angola’s under-17 team. When he qualified them for the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil, he was then asked to take
Key player: Show. Age: 24. Midfielder.
A debut for the national team at 18 marked out Manuel Luis Cafumana, better known as Show, as one to watch for Angola and he has not disappointed. A defensive midfielder with a phenomenal work rate and eye for an accurate pass, he moved to France with Lille while still a teenager. There, he took time to settle and was allowed to go to Portugal on loan at Boavista. A move to Ludogorets in 2021 was followed after two years by a transfer to Maccabi Haifa, with whom he was ever present in the Europa League group phase this season.
FIFA world ranking Dec 2023: 117
How they qualified: Second placed team in Group E, behind Ghana but ahead of the Central African Republic and Madagascar.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Antonio Dominique (Etoile Carouge), Kadu (Oliveira Hospital), Neblu (Premiero Agosto)
Defenders: Eddie Afonso (Petro Atletico), Loide Augusto (Alanyaspor), Jonathan Buatu (Valenciennes), Tó Carneiro (Petro Atletico), Núrio Fortuna, (Gent), Kialonda Gaspar (Estrela Amadora), Kinito (Petro Atletico)
Midfielders: Beni (Casa Pia), Estrela (Erzurumspor), Fredy (Eyupspor), Keliano Manuel (Estrela Amadora), Bruno Paz (Konyaspor), Show (Maccabi Haifa)
Forwards: Jeremie Bela (Clermont, Foot), Gelson Dala (Al Wakrah), Gilberto (Petro Atletico), Zito Luvumbo (Cagliari), Mabululu (Al Ittihad), Milson (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Zine (AEK Athens).
