As Ghana embarks on its quest for a fifth TotalEnergies CAF Cup of Nations title, a crucial Group B match against Cape Verde is set to unfold on Sunday in Cote d'Ivoire.
Ahead of this anticipated encounter, CAF Online gives you the following intriguing facts and figures surrounding both teams:
Ghana
- Ghana and Cape Verde are meeting for the second time at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. The only previous encounter took place in the quarter-finals of the 2013 edition, resulting in a 2-0 victory for Ghana.
- This marks Ghana's 24th appearance in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, securing its position as the third-most frequent participant after Egypt (26) and Côte d'Ivoire (25). Despite winning four titles in their first seven appearances, Ghana has faced a title drought in their subsequent 16 outings.
- Ghana has won just one of its last nine CAF Africa Cup of Nations matches, with a 2-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau in 2019. The team faced an early exit in the group stages of the last AFCON.
Cape Verde
- This is Cape Verde's fourth appearance in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, with all four occurring since 2013. They have shown resilience with six draws out of 11 matches, clinching wins against Angola in 2013 (2-1) and Ethiopia in 2022 (1-0) during the group stages.
- While Cape Verde has advanced from the AFCON group stages twice (2013, 2021), they are yet to secure a victory in the knockout phase. Their solid group-stage record includes only one loss against Burkina Faso in January 2022 (0-1).
- Cape Verde maintains an unbeaten streak in opening matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, securing one win and two draws in three instances.
- Only one of Cape Verde's 11 previous AFCON games has witnessed more than two goals.
- Cape Verde's eight goals in the qualifiers for the current CAF Africa Cup of Nations were scored by eight different players.
Ghana vs Cape Verde
- Mohammed Kudus played a pivotal role in Ghana's qualification, directly contributing to 50% of the team's goals with three goals and one assist out of eight.
- If André Ayew takes the field, it will mark his eighth CAF Africa Cup of Nations, equalling the record held by Cameroon's Rigobert Song and Egypt's Ahmed Hassan. Additionally, a goal in this tournament would establish a new record of scoring in seven different AFCON editions.
The stage is set for an electrifying encounter as these two football powerhouses clash in their opening match of the prestigious tournament.
