Angola appoint Patrice Beaumelle as new head coach on a two-year deal

Angola have appointed Frenchman Patrice Beaumelle as their new head coach, taking the reins just a week before the team’s final fixtures in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Beaumelle replaces Pedro Goncalves, who was dismissed last week following Angola’s home defeat to Libya, a result that ended their hopes of securing a spot at next year’s World Cup in North America.

A familiar figure on the African coaching scene, 47-year-old Beaumelle has extensive experience as an assistant to fellow Frenchman Hervé Renard, including a previous stint with Angola between 2010 and 2012.

He has also held head coaching roles with Zambia and Ivory Coast, and guided Algerian club Mouloudia Alger to the group stage of last season’s CAF Champions League.

Beaumelle’s first tests in charge of the Palancas Negras will come against Eswatini on October 8 and Cameroon on October 13 in the World Cup qualifiers.

He will then lead Angola at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco later this year.