Overview
The Ivorian Coast entered the tournament with great expectations after winning the AFCON last term at home, where they defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the final to win the third continental title.
That victory not only strengthens the position of one of the traditional powers of African football, but also helps the " sculptors" to nurture ambition to become the first defending champion team to successfully defend the title since Egypt in 2010.
The preparation process for AFCON 2025 by Emerse Fae and his team is generally very convincing. In their last 6 official matches before the tournament, they have won 4, drawn and lost, scored 13 goals and conceded only once. This period ended with a 2-0 victory over Oman in an international friendly match, after previously losing 0-1 to Saudi Arabia.
In the World Cup qualifiers, the Ivorian Sea Board showed their superior strength with impressive performances. Including big wins 9-0 and 7-0 against Seychelles, 3-0 against Kenya, a goalless draw away to Gabon and a 1-0 home win for Burundi. They ended the qualifying round with a total of 25 goals and did not concede any.
The path to AFCON 2025 for the Ivorian Sea will also be very solid as they will finish second behind Zambia in the qualifying round, thereby qualifying for the final round. Stability in official matches brought confidence before the opening match of the group stage, even though they had to accept a shock when key striker Sebastien Haller was injured right before the tournament.
The return of experienced faces like Wilfried Zaha, along with the persistent influence of midfield leaders like Franck Kessie, helps the squad maintain the necessary balance. However, Sunderland winger Simon Adingra was surprisingly not on the list.
In terms of head-to-head history, the Ivorian Sea has a clear advantage over Mozambique as it has never lost to this opponent in seven encounters in all competitions, with 5 wins and two draws, scoring 13 goals and conceding only twice.
The two teams have met the most in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, when the Ivorian Sea drew 0-0 away at Maputo before winning 3-0 at home.
On the other hand, Mozambique entered the 2025 AFCON with the ambition of challenging history and surpassing all expectations when opening the campaign with a confrontation with the defending champion. They qualified for the tournament by finishing second in the qualifying round after Mali, thereby participating in the AFCON for the second consecutive time and affirming their steady progress on the continental football map.
In the last 6 official matches, they have won two, drawn one and lost three, scoring 7 goals but conceding nine. This streak includes a defeat to Morocco in an international friendly in November, before a 2-2 draw with Chad shortly after.
In the World Cup qualifiers, Mozambique defeated Somalia 1-0 and Botswana 2-0 respectively, but lost to Guinea and Uganda.
In the history of participating in AFCON, Chiquinho Conde's team has never passed the group stage despite having participated in the finals five times.
Winning a ticket to AFCON 2025 is more of a continuation for Mozambique than a breakthrough. And the biggest challenge right now is to turn that presence into positive results on the continental playground.
Expected lineup:
Sea of Ship: Fofana, Konan, Agbadou, Ndicka, Kossounou, Fofana, Kessie, Sangare, Y. Diomande, Diallo, Guessand.
Mozambique: Ernani, Dove, Mexico, reinildo, Nanani, Langa, Guima, Amade, Witi, Catamo, Ratifo.
The match between Ivory Coast and Mozambique takes place at 0:30 am on December 25 (Vietnam time).
