The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations heats up on Friday, December 26, as Angola and Zimbabwe clash in a pivotal Group B showdown at the vibrant Stade de Marrakech in Morocco.
Both the Black Sables and the Warriors had a rough start to the tournament, and now they are under increasing pressure to perform well in a group that includes Egypt and South Africa. Now that the standings in each group are starting to take shape, they need a good result to keep their chances alive.
Angola is looking forward to its second Group B game after a close 2–1 loss to South Africa. Show briefly tied the game in their first game, but Lyle Foster’s late goal in the 79th minute won the game for Bafana Bafana.
The Black Sables have had a lot of trouble in the first games of tournaments. They have lost 9 out of 10 times, and their only win in the first game was a 2–1 win over Burkina Faso in 2012.
Angola has lost its first AFCON game twice before, in 1996 and 2006. However, they tied their second game, and they have never made it to the playoff stage after losing their first game.
Angola has won its second group match three times after losing its first. This happened against Senegal in 2008 after a tie with South Africa, against Malawi in 2010 after a tie with Mali, and against Mauritania in 2023 after a tie with Tanzania.
In their nine previous games in the second group of the regional championship, Angola had three wins, four draws, and only two losses, both to South Africa. Their recent success is all over the place. In their last six games, they’ve won three, tied two, and lost one to world champions Argentina.
Patrice Beaumelle’s squad has shown attacking flair, netting at least 3 goals in each of its last 3 wins over Mauritius, Zambia, and Mozambique. They have also drawn in World Cup qualifiers against Cameroon and Eswatini, amassing 12 goals and conceding eight across these recent matches.
These COSAFA rivals have a storied history, meeting 19 times, with Angola and Zimbabwe each claiming eight victories and sharing three draws. Their rivalry began with a thrilling 3–2 win for Zimbabwe in a friendly back in November 1985.
Zimbabwe’s hopes were dashed in their opener as they conceded two second-half goals to Egypt, with Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah sealing their third straight opening-game loss and fifth overall at the tournament.
Marian Marinica’s side have become regulars at AFCON in recent years, but advancing past the group stage has proven elusive. They have lost their second group match in four out of five previous appearances, with a lone draw in 2019 breaking the pattern.
The Warriors have yet to taste victory in their first two AFCON matches, with all three of their tournament wins arriving in the final group game. Their defeat to Egypt marked their 11th loss in 16 tournament outings.
Zimbabwe’s last five AFCON matches have all ended decisively, with one win and four defeats. They are still searching for their first goalless draw or clean sheet at the finals.
This fixture represents their second meeting with a fellow Southern African side. This match marks only their second AFCON encounter with another Southern African side, after a 2–1 loss to Malawi in 2021. Encouragingly, Zimbabwe has found the net in each of their last three tournament games, setting a new AFCON record for the longest scoring streak.
