The 24 qualifiers for the expanded 2019 Africa Cup of Nations are naming their 23-man squads for the showpiece tournament.
Find out below who is on the plane to Egypt, and remember that teams have until the day before their first game at the tou…
Frank Lampard’s Derby County secured a playoff semifinal against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United with a 2-1 win over West Brom, pipping Middlesbrough to sixth place.
John Obi Mikel is closing in on a return to the Premier League with a source telling ESPN FC that the former Chelsea star is considering multiple offers from around the league and could make a decision before heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria.
Mikel, 32, left Chelsea on a free transfer for Tianjin TEDA in the Chinese Super League in 2017 after spending 10 years with the Blues but returned to England two seasons later on a short term deal with Middlesbrough.
With Boro’s…
Nigeria’s release of their 25-man provisional squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday was marked by one notable return, that of skipper John Obi Mikel.
The midfielder, 32, has not suited up for the Super Eagles since June of 2018 when the Nigerians were eliminated by Argentina in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup.
There was some uncertainty about whether he would play for Nigeria again, although coach Gernot Rohr left the door open for the Middlesbrough midfielder to walk through…
The scene: With one game to go in the group stages of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, Nigeria were staring elimination in the face.
An opening day loss to Cote d’Ivoire, coupled with Mali’s 1-0 win over Benin, was followed by a 0-0 draw with Mali which left the Super Eagles with just one point going into the final round of group games, and facing the very real prospect of an embarrassing early exit.
The Nigerians, under the tutelage of German Berti Vogts, not only needed to beat Benin,…
Udinese and Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong talks about his first season in Serie A and how he sees Nigeria as contenders for the African Cup of Nations.
With the football season winding down, and the Africa Cup of Nations barely two months away, Nigerian players have been making performance statements all over Europe and beyond.
Freshly minted Super Eagles forward Paul Onuachu was the pick of the bunch in a month of fine offensive and defensive displays.
1. Paul Onuachu (FC Midtjylland)
Onuachu announced himself to Nigerians with a spectacular goal inside the opening 10 seconds of Nigeria’s 1-0 win against Egypt in March, setting the record for…
Nigeria’s football players union has called on the national federation once again to assist in implementing an insurance scheme to provide welfare coverage for players who have fallen on hard times.
ESPN has learned of the renewed desire to act in the wake of inaccurate reports that Nigeria’s Super Eagles legend Christian Chukwu had been “abandoned” in ill-health.
Austin Popo, a retired player and current General Secretary of the Nigeria players union, the National Association of Nigeria Professional…
In light of Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations group-stage draw in Cairo, ESPN pick out five mouth-watering games to look forward in the first round.
The expanded 24-team format has meant more inclusion for the continent’s lesser lights, while the traditional heavyweights have been spread around the groups.
However, there’s absolutely no shortage of intrigue in the first round following a compelling first-round draw.
Tanzania vs. Kenya, June 27, 30 June Stadium, Cairo
East African derbies are…
It is hard not to picture Gernot Rohr, an impish smile lurking beneath his serious visage, doing all he can to restrain himself from rubbing his hands in Grinch-like glee as he contemplated the kind draw for his side at the 2019 Africa Cup of Na…
The six groups for the expanded Africa Cup of Nations were drawn in a glamorous ceremony in the shadow of the Pyramids of Giza, just outside Cairo, on Friday, as the 24 teams learned their first-round opponents.
With the group stage mapped out, what should fans expect from the opening round of fixtures, where are the potential upsets, and who are the players to watch in African football’s biennial showpiece?
Group A
Teams: Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Overview:
Egypt had…