Benin targets breakthrough as 2025 AFCON return nears

Benin enters the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations determined to make a meaningful impact as the Cheetahs prepare for their fifth appearance in the competition after a six-year absence.

The tournament, hosted in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January, offers the squad an opportunity to confirm its progress and reassert its ambitions on the continental stage.

Benin’s qualification, secured by finishing second in Group D behind Nigeria, has reinforced the belief that the current generation is capable of surpassing past achievements.

Their best performance remains the 2019 quarter-final run in Egypt, a benchmark the team hopes to match—or exceed—this time.

Captain Steve Mounié, speaking on Canal+’s “En route pour la CAN,” made the team’s intentions clear. “We’re hungry for the AFCON.

This generation wants to prove its quality. The objective is clear, to finally win a match at the AFCON and advance from the group stage, he said.

Drawn into a demanding group featuring DR Congo, Senegal and Botswana, Benin knows the scale of the challenge but remains focused.

Mounié spoke confidently about the team’s readiness and collective mindset.

It’s been six years since we last participated. We have a new generation eager to prove their quality and do better than what we achieved in 2019. It’s going to be difficult… but we believe in our chances, he noted, while praising emerging talents such as Olaitan, Imourane, Hountondji and Tosin Aiyegun, whose rise has injected competition and energy into the squad.

However, Benin faces early complications.

Suspensions have ruled out five players for the opening fixture against DR Congo, a setback the captain acknowledged.

It’s hard to take… but the team is ready, he insisted, confident that depth and determination will compensate for the absences. Mounié, now just two goals shy of Stéphane Sessègnon’s national scoring record, admitted he is aware of the milestone—but not consumed by it. It’s not an obsession, but three goals is achievable, he said.

The squad announcement brings further concerns.

Two players from the preliminary list of 30—Felipe Santos and Andreas Hountondji—have withdrawn.

Santos suffered an untimely club injury, ending hopes of a first major international tournament, while Hountondji has not recovered sufficiently after being injured in a Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich.

Their absences, confirmed days before departure, force coach Gernot Rohr to rethink his attacking options.

Despite the complications, the atmosphere around the team remains optimistic.

With a solid qualification campaign behind them, an ambitious new generation and a captain driving high standards, Benin heads to Morocco eager to push beyond previous limits.

The Cheetahs believe this tournament offers a genuine chance to shape a new chapter—one written with hunger, conviction and a desire to firmly establish themselves among Africa’s leading nations.