Ghana’s Black Stars have been drawn into Group F alongside Angola, Sudan, and Niger for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Coach Otto Addo emphasized the increasing competitiveness of African teams, highlighting Niger’s recent performances despite their struggles.

“They don’t have a good record in their last five, six, seven, eight matches,” Addo told the Ghana FA website. “But what you can see is that, when they lost, they just lost by a lone goal. So it’s going to be tough. All the other teams are finding it tough playing against Niger so it’s going to be tough for us as well. We have to be at our 100% best to beat everyone.”

Addo stressed the unpredictability of African football, referencing past AFCON upsets. “There is no small team in Africa at the moment,” he said. “You saw at the last AFCON that very, very strong and known teams had problems with the so-called unknown teams so it’s going to be tough but I think we have the quality to beat all of them. But it’s going to be close, it’s going to be tough, there are no easy games.”

This campaign holds immense significance for Ghana, who are chasing their fifth AFCON title and a return to glory unseen since 1982.

Ghana coach Otto Addo warns his team must be at their best to overcome a resurgent Sudan in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Drawn alongside Sudan, Angola, and Niger, Ghana faces a particular challenge from Sudan, currently leading their 2026 World Cup qualifying group under former Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah.

“We have Sudan, who are really performing well under Kwesi Appiah,” Addo acknowledged to the Ghana FA website. “He’s an excellent coach, and their team, while not as well-known, is very tough right now in World Cup qualifiers.”

Addo emphasized the importance of peak performance. “It’s going to be a significant challenge, and we need to be at 100%,” he said. “It’ll be tough, but I’m excited and confident in our strong team.”

While Sudan seeks their 10th AFCON appearance after a recent Group Stage exit in 2021, Ghana chases their fifth title and a return to continental glory. Their last AFCON win came in 1982, making coach Addo’s campaign a significant one for Ghanaian football.

The qualifiers are set to begin in September this year and conclude in November.

The 2025 AFCON finals will then begin on December 21 next year, with the final on January 18, 2026, marking the first time in Nations Cup history that the tournament will kick off in December and run over the Christmas and New Year period.