admintournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
After three first-round exits, Palancas Negros (Black Antelopes) reached the 2008 and 2010 quarter-finals of the continental showpiece, losing narrowly to Egypt in Kumasi and Ghana in Luanda.
But getting to the knockout phase again is not going to be easy as Group B is completed by joint title favourites Cote d’Ivoire, highly rated Burkina Faso and outsiders Sudan.
It is advantageous for the team from south-west Africa that they remain in Equatoguinean capital Malabo for all three matches, dodging a time-consuming flight from the island to mainland city Bata for the final fixture.
Angola launch their campaign against Burkina Faso at the 15 000-seat Nuevo Estadio Malabo – the smallest capacity for a Cup of Nations venue in recent tournaments.
It will be a big occasion for both teams with victory for either putting them in a favourable position to accompany likely group winners Cote d’Ivoire to the quarter-finals.
The Angolans have never played Burkina Faso in the continental showpiece, nor Sudan, while memories of Cote d’Ivoire remain extremely painful thanks to a 5-2 hiding at the 1998 championship.
Defensive midfielder and captain Andre Makanga, who plays for Kuwaiti club Al-Jahra, insists there will be no inferiority complex against an Ivorian side boasting 2011 African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure.
“We have defeated Cote d’Ivoire in a friendly and all their stars played,” he told national news agency ANGOP. “I believe we can beat them again in this Cup of Nations.”
His focus is on the January 22 night-time showdown with Burkina Faso, though, admitting that a good start was vital to avoid retreating gloomily to Luanda after the mini-league phase.
Factfile
Qualifying results: Uganda 2-0 0-3, Guinea Bissau 1-0 2-0, Kenya 1-0 1-2
Scorers: 4 – Mateus ‘Manucho’ Goncalves, 1 – Felisberto ‘Gilberto’ Amaral, Flavio Amado, Mateus Galiano
Captain: Carlos “Kali” Alonso, Coach: Jose “Lito” Vidigal
Rankings: Caf 19, Fifa 83, Nickname: Black Antelopes
Previous appearances: 1996 – first round, 1998 – first round, 2006 – first round, 2008 – quarter-finals, 2010 – quarter-finals
Record: P17 W3 D8 L6 F24 A28
Record win: Senegal 3-1, loss: Ivory Coast 2-5. – AFP.
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- July 31, 2026
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