Côte d’Ivoire lifted the AfCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 against all odds
* The qualification campaign for the AfCON Morocco 2025 delivered high-octane drama as 24 nations secured their spots for the tournament
* In the FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifiers, African teams made a strong start, with Côte d’Ivoire emerging as top scorers and Sudan and Tunisia topping their respective groups
* Al Ahly reaffirmed their dominance in African club football, claiming their record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title
Maravi Express
The Confédération African Football (CAF) wrapped up an extraordinary year of football in 2024, with major milestones in men’s, women’s, youth, and club football.
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From Côte d’Ivoire’s historic Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) victory to landmark performances in CAF competitions, CAFonline chronicles a comprehensive look at the year in African football.
Côte d’Ivoire triumphs at AfCON 2023
The year began with the culmination of the AfCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire, where the hosts stunned the continent by lifting their third AfCON title — despite a shaky start, a managerial change mid-tournament that reinvigorated the Elephants.
Emerse Fae’s side edged Nigeria 2-1 in a dramatic final in Abidjan, in front of over 57,000 fans. The tournament, dubbed the ‘AfCON of the century’, saw emerging teams like Cape Verde, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea make impressive runs.
Emerse Faé
AfCON Morocco 2025 qualifiers provide thrills
The qualification campaign for the AfCON Morocco 2025 delivered high-octane drama as 24 nations secured their spots for the tournament.
Powerhouses like Nigeria, Senegal, and Egypt booked their tickets, while Botswana, Zimbabwe and Comoros made exciting comebacks to the continental stage.
The qualifiers featured thrilling narratives, including Botswana’s unexpected draw against Egypt to qualify and Zimbabwe’s resurgence after missing recent editions.
Morocco’s Diaz was the top scorer in the AfCON Morocco 2025 qualifiers
World Cup qualifiers
In the FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifiers, African teams made a strong start, with Côte d’Ivoire emerging as top scorers and Sudan and Tunisia topping their respective groups.
Ghana’s Jordan Ayew dazzled with a hat-trick in a thrilling 4-3 win over the Central African Republic, while Mohamed Salah and Trezeguet kept Egypt’s hopes alive with stellar performances.
These early stages underscore Africa’s growing ambitions on the global stage.
Egypt’s Al Ahly and Zamalek shine in CAF club competitions
Al Ahly reaffirmed their dominance in African club football, claiming their record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Tunisia’s Esperance.
Al Ahly
The Egyptians also went unbeaten throughout the campaign, underscoring their supremacy while their Egyptian rivals Zamalek clinched the CAF Confederation Cup in dramatic fashion — overturning a first-leg deficit against RS Berkane to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Zamalek followed this up by defeating Al Ahly in the CAF Super Cup via a penalty shootout, sealing a stellar year for the club.
TP Mazembe crowned queens of Africa
In women’s football, TP Mazembe from DR Congo lifted their maiden CAF Women’s Champions League title with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Morocco’s AS FAR in the final.
A first-half penalty from Marlene Kasaj proved decisive as Mazembe displayed resilience against the former champions. This triumph capped a remarkable journey for the Congolese side after their earlier group-stage exit in 2022.
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Women’s football growth
The CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) draw revealed a highly competitive tournament scheduled for 2025 as the host nation Morocco finds itself in a challenging group alongside Zambia, Senegal, and DR Congo.
Defending champions South Africa will face Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania while Nigeria, aiming to reclaim their dominance, will battle Botswana, Tunisia and Algeria.
CHAN 2024 final qualifiers
The final round of qualifiers for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024featured intense rivalries, including the much-anticipated ‘Jollof Derby’ between Ghana and Nigeria.
The tournament, set for January in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, promises to spotlight Africa’s domestic football talents.
Youth football: Tanzania and South Africa celebrate
The CAF African Schools Football Championship showcased the continent’s rising stars which Tanzania won the boys’ competition on home soil, while South Africa clinched the girls’ title after a thrilling penalty shootout victory against Morocco.
The championship highlighted CAF’s commitment to nurturing grassroots talent.
Senegal’s triumph at Beach Soccer
Futsal and Beach Soccer success
Morocco claimed their third consecutive CAF Futsal AFCON title with a commanding 5-1 win over Angola while on the beach soccer front, Senegal retained their CAF Beach Soccer AFCON title.
Senegal defeated Mauritania 6-1 in the final and both teams will represent Africa at the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025.
Africa on the global stage
African teams and athletes showcased their talents on the world stage in 2024, achieving significant milestones across various global competitions.
At the Paris Olympics, Morocco’s men’s football team earned a historic bronze medal, defeating Egypt 6-0 in the third-place match.
Morocco at the Olympics
The result marked Africa’s first Olympic football medal since Cameroon’s gold medal triumph in 2000, with Soufiane Rahimi emerging as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.
In women’s football, despite early exits for Nigeria and Zambia, Zambia’s Barbra Banda etched her name in the history books with a stunning hat-trick against Australia, becoming the first player ever to score three hat-tricks in Olympic history.
Zambian Barbra Banda
At the FIFA junior World Cups, African teams displayed their potential with Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team reaching the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, led by 16-year-old sensation Shakirat Moshood.
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s Naomi Eto shone at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, scoring four goals in four matches. Kenya’s U-17 women’s team achieved a historic milestone with their first-ever FIFA tournament victory, defeating Mexico 2-1.
Africa’s representation at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai and the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan faced hurdles, with Senegal, Egypt, Angola, and Libya unable to progress past the group stages.
Despite the glitch, this year demonstrated the potential of African teams to compete and excel on the global stage, reflecting the continent’s rich talent and relentless determination to make a mark on world football.
Barbra and Ademola Lookman
Individual honours at CAF Awards
The CAF Awards 2024 celebrated Africa’s finest talents that had Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman named men’s Player of the Year, while Zambia’s Barbra Banda took the women’s accolade.
South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams emerged as a double winner, claiming both the men’s Goalkeeper of the Year and Interclub Player of the Year awards.
Emerse Fae was honoured as men’s Coach of the Year for leading Côte d’Ivoire to AfCON glory.
World rankings
Morocco ended the year as Africa’s top-ranked team in the FIFA rankings, despite a slight global drop to 14th. Angola, however, stole the spotlight with a meteoric rise of 32 places, reflecting their strong performances in 2024.
From Côte d’Ivoire’s AfCON triumph to Al Ahly’s dominance in club football and emerging youth talents, 2024 was a banner year for African football.
With the upcoming 2025 AfCON in Morocco and CHAN 2024, the stage is set for even greater moments in African football.
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