22 Days to Kick-off: Guinea-Bissau looking to go beyond group stages
● Guinea Bissau will participate in its 4th TotalEnergies CAF African Cup of Nations
● The Djurtus are in Group A with Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
● They have never made it past the first round of the competition
Guinea-Bissau's matches in Group A
13 January
Guinea-Bissau – Cote d’Ivoire: 19h00 GMT, Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, Ebimpé
18 January
Equatorial Guinea – Guinea-Bissau: 13h00 GMT, Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, Ebimpé
22 January
Guinea-Bissau – Nigeria: 17h00 GMT, Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan
How Guinea Bissau qualified for the TotalEnergies AFCON
Ranked second in their qualifying group behind Nigeria, the Djurtus had an almost faultless run where they went on to stun the Super Eagles 1-0 at home on 24 March 2023. With three victories, one match and one defeat, Guinea-Bissau has just completed one of its finest qualifying campaigns.
Key Player: Mama Baldé
One of the nation’s best exports, the explosive winger is comfortable on the ball with both feet and possesses great abilities of eliminating his opponents.
Baldé possesses a great physique which works to his advantage in tight duels and highly physical defenders. In addition to his crossing ability, he also has a knack for goals when in good goalscoring positions.
The Coach: Baciro Candé
Since the return of Baciro Candé in 2016, Guinea-Bissau has not missed a single TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations competition. His tactics are based on intensity, aggressive pressing and excess energy. Beyond aggressiveness without the ball, Candé advocates fluid offensive play which is easy on the eye for lovers of the African game.
Guinea-Bissau's performance at the TotalEnergies AFCON
2017: 1st round
2019: 1st round
2021: 1st round