Do you want to know more about the languages, football fans, and highest valued players of each team at AFCON 22′? Also, we couldn’t help but look into the magic crystal ball to predict each group.

All-in Global is a language service provider specialising in sports, iGaming, betting, esports, and FinTech. We currently work with more than 80 languages, but we would love to see more requests for some of the 2000 (!) languages of Africa. Get in touch to learn more about how we can help with the African localization of your content.

The first match is between Cameroon and Burkina Faso on Sunday and we could not be more excited so let’s get this show on the road.

GROUP A

Predictions by Lyudmyla Herasymenko (Head of Sports)

“It’s fair to say that the home team Cameroon was lucky with the group draw. Anything besides Cameroon qualifying from this group would be a catastrophe for the nation. Even if the squad doesn’t have the star names like Samuel Eto, Rigobert Song anymore the Cameroon squad looks pretty solid. With Liverpool’s Joel Matip as a center back, Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting as forward and Napolis ( on loan from Fulham ) holding midfielder Zambo Anguissa they have enough routine and quality to be one of the teams reaching for the medals.

Most booking sites offer around 1,5 on Cameroon to win the group, that’s a bet I’m taking. You can also combine it with Senegal winning group B and get 3.0 the dough. So who will grab second place and qualify from the group together with the home nation? My bets here are definitely on Burkina Faso, ranked 60th in the world. Even if the team isn’t that well known for the bigger audience, they did have some impressive results in AFCON earlier, a third-place 2017 and runner-up in 2014 witness that you can’t write them off. A player to have an extra eye on in the Burkina team is Aston Villas Bertrand Traoré.

Cape Verde and Burkina Faso are pretty close to each other when it comes to results and FIFA ranking. But in this battle, the 72nd FIFA-ranked Cape Verde will lose. Most of their players are playing in Europe today so they are a tactically good football team, having 14 players active in Portugal at the moment has definitely helped their national team to play better football. The closest to having a real-world superstar in their national team was a few years back when Henrik Larsson had the chance to choose to play for his father’s home country.

Fourth place in the group will go to Ethiopia, also called Walias. Ethiopia is as most people know more famous for its amazing long-distance runners and not football where they at the moment are ranked 150th in the world. The quality of the football team has gone up drastically in the last decade, but it’s not many years since they lost 13-0 to Iraq.”

1: Cameroon

Odds of winning AFCON: 10.00

Most valuable player: Napoli’s defensive midfielder André Zambo Anguissa €30M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Cameroonian fans like?

I remember Roger Milla from the 1990 World Cup where he scored 4 goals at the age of 38. In Norway, we talked about “Milla Dilla” which translates to “crazy about Milla”. This year Cameroon is hosting the African Cup of Nations and according to recent reports, fans will be allowed into the stadiums. “The Lions” has some of the most loyal fans on the continent, supporting their team in thick and thin – mostly thin lately. With success in the 2022 AFCON, Cameroonian fans will dominate the broadcasting with their colourful costumes and big smiles.

Sporty Greetings!#Cameroonian football fans will be cheering for their national men's team when the #AfricaCupofNations tournament kicks off Jan 9 in their capital, #Yaounde.

"The Indomitable Lions" of Cameroon will host "the Stallions" of Burkina Faso in the opening match. pic.twitter.com/AsnvfnbblN

— Sonny Side of Sports (@VOASonnySports) December 27, 2021

What languages do they speak in Cameroon?

The language landscape in Cameroon is so diverse that UNESCO has classified the country as having a distinctive cultural density. In this country of 25 million people, there are approximately 260 languages and most of them are considered indigenous languages. Some of them are sadly disappearing but at All-in Global we are happy to see that efforts are being done to save them.

Official languages (number of native speakers):
French (6,4M)
English (2,8M)

Most used indigenous languages:
Bulu
Ewondo
Hausa
Yemba
Ghomala
Ngiemboon
Kom
Bassa
Bamoun
Medumba

2: Burkina Faso

Odds of winning AFCON: 41.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Bayer Leverkusen’s centre-back Edmond Tapsoba €40M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Burkinabé fans like?

Often body-painted and high in belief!

Burkina Faso fans hold prayer session prior to #AFCON2017 semi v Egypt. pic.twitter.com/yL8rjs5yOT

— Piers Edwards (@piers_e) February 1, 2017

 

What languages do they speak in Burkina Faso? 

Less than 15% of the population of Burkina Faso uses French on a daily basis but French is still the only language used for laws, administration, and courts. It is believed that the French language is a pathway to social mobility and that it assures continued economic support for education. Mossi (aka Mòoré) is the most commonly spoken language, covering approximately half of the population.

Dyula and Fulfulde are also regarded as national languages. Gourmanché (5.51%), Bissa(2.85%) are important regional languages together with Bwamu, Dagara, and Samo who are all used by just under 2%.

3: Cape Verde

Odds of winning AFCON: 71.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Trabzonspor’s central forward Djanini €4,6M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Cape Verdean fans like?

Proud and beautiful!

What languages do they speak in Cape Verde?

The Creole language in Cape Verde is believed to be one of the oldest of the “living languages”. It’s based in Portuguese and most if not all of the locals speak it. Each island has adapted its own way of speaking this historically important language. There are nine dialects and local linguists usually divide them into two branches: the Sotavento Creoles (southern Brava, Fogo, Maio, and Santiago) and the Barlavento Creoles (northern Boa Vista, Sal, Santo Antao, Sao Nicolau, and Sao Vicente). Portuguese is the official language of the government.

4: Ethiopia

Odds of winning AFCON: 251.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: El Gouna’s attacking midfielder Shimelis Bekele €250K (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Ethiopian fans like?

Well organised!

Ethiopian 🇪🇹 fans have outdone themselves here as Walia Ibex takes on Kenya 🇰🇪 in Bahir Dar – the stadium has a capacity of 60,000!

It’s always a football party with them & this is on a Wednesday! #AFCON2019Q pic.twitter.com/rUTqUGuqVf

— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) October 10, 2018

What languages do they speak in Ethiopia?

Ethiopia’s 115 million people have 5 official languages: Afar (2 million speakers), Amharic (32M), Oromo (38M), Somali (7M), and Tigrinya (6M+). Other well-spread languages are Sidama (4M+), Wolaytta (2M+), and Sebat Bet Gurage (2M+).

Amharic is considered a holy language by the Rastafari religion. Up until 2020, it was the only official working language of the government. English is also popular, especially in secondary schools and universities. There are 92 languages that are indigenous to Ethiopia.

GROUB B

Predictions by Sebastian Delsinger (Head of Sales, in light blue shirt)

“In group B Senegal is the obvious favourite. They are also my favourite to win the whole tournament. The Terranga lions as they are called are ranked 22nd in the world and their squad is stronger than ever.

With what many call the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment Mendy and their captain Koulibaly at the back, their defense is the strongest out of all the Africans team. Add defending players from PSG, Milan, and Bayern Munich and you quickly understand this team has the experiences that it takes to win the group and the whole tournament. The midfield is controlled by their vice-captain Idrissa Gueye who plays for PSG and upfront their main man is of course the Liverpool star Sadio Mane. Alongside Mane, you will probably find Ismaila Sarr who plays for Watford.

The runners up in the group are more open. Guinea with their captain Naby Keita who is ranked 72nd in the world are the odds favorite at most booking sites to go through. But I believe we are about to see an underdog taking that place ahead of Guinee, and I’m talking about Zimbabwe. Their star player Tinotenda Kadewere with a past in my favorite team Djurgårdens IF is a fantastic player and worth a bet on to be the top scorer of the tournament. He currently plays for the French side Olympique Lyonnais and even though he was born in 1996 he has scored over 40 goals in the French league over 4 seasons. I can’t see Malawi winning any games in this group.”

1: Senegal

Odds of winning AFCON: 6.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Liverpool’s left-winger Sadio Mané €80M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Senegalese fans like?

Senegalese fans are LOUD and the fact they are very tall on average makes the sound travel further. Expect carnival-like scenes whether they win or lose.

What languages do they speak in Senegal?

Wolof is the most important language in Senegal and the native language of the Wolof people who make up about 40% of the Senegalese population. Wolof is also spoken as a 2nd language by most other Senegalese. In 2005, about 1 in 10 spoke fluent French, and 2 in 10 knew French partially.

Other languages with the status as national languages:
Balanta-Ganja
Arabic
Jola-Fonyi
Mandinka
Mandjak
Mankanya
Noon (Serer-Noon)
Pulaar
Serer
Soninke

2: Zimbabwe

Odds of winning AFCON: 101.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Lyon’s right-winger Tino Kadewere €8M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Zimbabwean fans like?

They don’t mind a crowd!

Zimbabwean football fans are amazing -crowd at Barbourfields has defied all the challenges in the country for what should be @FCPlatinum ‘s biggest home crowd @orlandopirates ‘ biggest crowd outside of South Africa #FCPlatinumVsOrlandoPirates #FCPvsPirates #CAFChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/DmPrFjJkyQ

— Larry Moyo (@larry_moyo) January 12, 2019

What languages do they speak in Zimbabwe?

Shona (70%) is the main spoken language in this country with a population of 15 million people, followed by Ndebele (20%). According to Wikipedia, Zimbabwean language data is based on estimates, as Zimbabwe has never conducted a census that enumerated people by language. A constitution from 2013 defines 16 official languages: Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa.

3: Guinea

Odds of winning AFCON: 41.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Liverpool’s central midfielder Naby Keïta €30M (transfermrkt.com)

What are Guinean fans like?

The support for the team goes all the way to the top!

Guinea's President Conde tells us why he is the country's No 1 football fan. pic.twitter.com/wVbkjkjjJz

— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) July 4, 2017

What languages do they speak in Guinea?

The official language is French, while 6 languages have gone from indigenous to national status. Fula (aka Pular) dominates the middle region while Malinké (aka Maninka) is the most popular in the North. Susu is spoken by about 1/4 of the coastal population while Kissi, Kpelle (aka Guerzé), and Loma are spoken by less than 5% countrywide.

4: Malawi

Odds of winning AFCON: 301.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Orlando Pirates’ centre forward Gabadinho Mhango €825K (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Malawi fans like?

Happy to re-enter the stadiums! (well at least the fully vaccinated fans).

Malawi government open stadiums to fans that have been fully vaccinated. Starting this weekend Malawian football fans who have been vaccinated will be allowed to watch games start from the terrace #SportsRifle724 #Malawi #Football pic.twitter.com/VE2qPa318m

— Sports Rifle 7/24 (@SportsRifle) September 25, 2021

What languages do they speak in Malawi?

English is the official language of Malawi. Chichewa is the national language, spoken by about half of the 19 million people. 2 million of the population speaks the Bantu language of Yao, mainly in the southern region. Tumbuka dominates in the north, spoken by about 10% of the total population. There are also 16 other “living” languages with few but some speakers in Malawi, namely Malawian Lomwe, Nyakyusa-Ngonde, Malawian Sena, Tonga, Zulu, Afrikaans, Lambya, Kacchi, Kokola, Ndali, Nyiha, and Nyika.

GROUP C

Predictions by Tiago Aprigio (CEO)

Group C includes the second highest-ranked team in the tournament (Morocco) as well as a debut (Comoros). Morocco has underperformed at recent AFCONS and lifted the trophy in the distant year of 1976. Ghana has a strong chance to qualify, together with Morocco. I think that Comoros will struggle but maybe they strike beginner’s luck and outpace some of the other teams? Comoros will surely be motivated and with “Auba” out of form for Gabon, I think they will grab the 3rd place.

1: Morocco

Odds of winning AFCON: 10.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Paris Saint-Germain’s right-back Achraf Hakimi €70M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Moroccan fans like?

Always protesting apparently…

Moroccan football fans are honestly are inspirational, always protesting no matter what the government says❤️ https://t.co/DnFZMhwPgI

— Layla (@lalays02) May 9, 2020

What languages do they speak in Morocco?

There are two official languages in Morocco, namely Standard Arabic and Tamazight. The common consensus is however that Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Berber are the national languages. Moroccan Arabic, also known as Darija, is spoken by 98% of the 37 million Moroccan people according to a 2012 study by the Spanish government (Wikipedia). This study also stated that 63% spoke French, 26% spoke Tamazight, 14% spoke English and 10% spoke Spanish.

2: Ghana

Odds of winning AFCON: 15.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Arsenal’s defensive midfielder Thomas Partey €30M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Ghanaian fans like?

One of the biggest football legends where I am from in Norway hails from Ghana. His name is Mohamed Idris and he scored more than 150 goals for Ørn Horten between 1997 and 2004.

Now he is the primus motor of a football academy in Ghana called Scandy FC. All-in Global asked him to describe the Ghanaian fans and this is what he had to say:

“Ghanaian fans are among the best. They are always singing songs and playing drums during the matches. They love to dance and many of them wear a costume from a tribe in the North called Dagumbas. I am excited to see what Ghana can do at the AFCON this year!”.

Ghana's soccer team fans pose for photographer, 21 January 2002 during the 2002 African Nations Cup match Ghana vs Morocco in Segou. The match ended in a scoreless draw. AFP PHOTO ISSOUF SANOGO (Photo credit should read ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/m9K7pvBZaG

— Ipostghana (@ipostghana) May 27, 2020

What languages do they speak in Ghana?

Ghana is one of Africa’s big football nations with about 80 spoken languages. English is the official language while Akan is the biggest of the languages indigenous to this country east of the Ivory Coast. There is an ongoing process at the moment of making French an official language as well. 11 languages are being “sponsored” by the government in addition to Akan: Akposo, Ewe, Dagbani, Dangme, Dagaare, Ga, Nzema, Kasem, Gonja, and Anii/Basila.

3: Comoros

Odds of winning AFCON: 351.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: KV Kortrijk’s left winger Faïz Selemani €2,2M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Comoran fans like?

Big in numbers and apparently they don’t mind a pitch invasion or two! Comoros is the only team together with the Gambia that makes their debut in this version of the AFCON so enthusiastic will probably be another keyword to describe their fans.

Comoros football fans invades the pitch after having 4pts from Togo and Egypt game respectively pic.twitter.com/zLALFDrXby

— y3 hard, 3b3fa (@BrightAdom5) November 18, 2019

What languages do they speak in Comoros?

Independent since 1975, and with a population of around 1 million, Comoros is a country of islands in the Indian Ocean Northwest of Madagaskar. Comorian, or Shikomor, is a language similar to Swahili and spoken by nearly everyone. 1 in 4 speaks French. Arabic is considered an official language although very few speak it here.

4: Gabon

Odds of winning AFCON: 51.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Arsenal’s forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang €15M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Gabonese fans like?

Missing! if we are to believe Twitter.

Stade d'Oyem, once hosted Afcon in Gabon, who in their right mind would build a stadium in a region that does not even have a 3rd division but anyway European football take priority in Gabon, even their biggest most successful team does not even command 210 fans per home game. pic.twitter.com/boEJtDyl24

— African Soccer Updates (@Africansoccerup) February 9, 2019

What languages do they speak in Gabon?

Libreville, situated in the Gulf of Guinea, is the capital of Gabon, and in this city, about 30% of the people speak French at a native level. French is less adapted in the more rural areas but 80% of the population master the language at a decent level. 32% of the Gabonese have Fang as their mother tongue. In addition to Fang, there are about 40 different indigenous languages – all from the Bantu language family – where Mbere and Sira (aka Eshira) are the biggest ones.

GROUP D

Predictions by Manuel Portal (Project Manager, right)

“The Death Group of this AFCON! Three former winners of the competition in this group (Egypt, Nigeria & Sudan). Egypt with its seven titles in the competition must be considered the favourites to win the group. After all, they can count amongst others with one of the best if not the best current striker in the world at present, Liverpool’s favourite Mo Salah.

Nigeria will want to leave behind some recent disappointing performances and the turmoil that resulted in the sacking of their longest-serving manager Gernot Rohr from the national team. They might not have as many big names as in the past but they can certainly intimidate having Victor Moses and Kelechi Iheanacho in the attack. They are certainly favourites for 2nd place in the group in theory.

The expected third place, the outsiders Sudan. It’s been over 50 years since Sudan’s home victory in the competition in 1970. At this stage though making it through the group stage could already be considered a good achievement for them. The 4th Place of the group is likely to be Guinea Bissau. Only their third appearance in the competition but the fact that nobody is actually expecting anything from them might actually play in their favour. Their team hasn’t suffered many changes and they have kept their manager for five years now so that may help their odds.”

1: Egypt

Odds of winning AFCON: 8.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Liverpool’s right forward Mohamed Salah €100M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Egyptian fans like?

Crazy about Salah obviously, he is like a God in Egypt. And apparently, Egyptian fans are very tidy… Kudos!

Egyptian fans stayed behind after the final whistle in their African Cup of Nations opener to clean up the stadium.

Love this. 👏🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/0XZ0ggcCOX

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) June 24, 2019

What languages do they speak in Egypt?

Most Egyptians write literary Arabic which is also the official language. Egyptian Arabic with a Cairo dialect is the most common language when people speak to each other. Arabic localized for Egypt is the biggest language in Africa for All-in Global, indicating that this is also the biggest language in iGaming in Africa. Other important regional languages in Egypt include:

Saidi Arabic (southern parts)
Nubian languages (Upper Nile Valley)
Bedouin Arabic (Sinai Peninsula)
Beja (Eastern Desert and along the Red Sea coast)
Domari (north of Cairo)
Eastern Libyan Arabic (western desert)
Siwi Berber (Siwa)

2: Nigeria

Odds of winning AFCON: 12.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Leicester’s defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi €60M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Nigerian fans like?

Apparently, fans of the Nigerian national team are divided into several fractions. Can they unite for the AFCON in Cameroon to push their Super Eagles to success?

At Teslim Balogun Stadium on Friday, all 4 factions of the Supporters’ clubs were fully represented;

Frame 1: Nigeria Football Supporters Club

2: Super Eagles Supporters Club

3: Authentic Nigeria Football & Allied Sports Supporters Club

4: Football Fans Club of Nigeria. pic.twitter.com/vbkpSccRJl

— POOJA… (@PoojaMedia) September 6, 2021

What languages do they speak in Nigeria?

At All-in Global we recommend localizing your sports and gaming content into all of the 525 native languages of Nigeria. Just kidding – we realise that this might be a bit costly although we can now offer heavily reduced prices thanks to our AI assisted translation service. English is the official language, although when localizing for the Nigerian audience we recommend using the Nigerian English variant which is spoken by 184 million people.

Other languages in Nigeria spoken by more than 2 million people:
Hausa (52M)
Yoruba (42M)
Igbo (34M)
Fulfulde (15M)
Kanuri (10M)
Tiv (4M)
Ljaw (3M)
Edo (2M)

3: Sudan

Odds of winning AFCON: 351.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Al-Hilal’s centre-forward Mohamed Abdelrahman €250K (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Sudanese fans like?

According to this poster, the below video is from a women’s match in Sudan. How much support can the Sudanese round up for their men’s team at the AFCON?

Women football has got great potential in South Sudan with so many fans turning up for a tournament it clearly showed that as SSFA we have work cut out.

I am proud we are moving with speed in the right direction and the impact of fully supporting women football is visible. pic.twitter.com/lMPhzzoIWa

— Francis Paul (@FrancisAmin2) October 27, 2019

 

What languages do they speak in Sudan?

A 2005 Sudanese constitution defined Literary Arabic and English as their official languages. Sudanese Arabic dominates spoken communication and the literacy rate is 70.2% of the total population.

4: Guinea-Bissau

Odds of winning AFCON: 151.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: ES Troyes AC’s right-winger Mama Baldé €5M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Bissau-Guinean fans like?

They party like every day is a Friday!

🇬🇼 Bissau-Guinean & 🇧🇫 Burkinabé fans at the 2017 #TotalAFCON 😍#FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/Z33uiJSoja

— CAF (@CAF_Online) May 8, 2020

What languages do they speak in Guinea-Bissau?

Almost half of the 2 million-strong population speaks Guinea-Bissau Creole and their native languages also include Balanta, Fula, Mandjak, Mandinka, and Papel. The official language is Portuguese which is spoken by 11%. The countries surrounding Guinea-Bissau are mostly French-speaking, so French is also learned in school here.

GROUP E

Predictions by Ana Pereira (Junior QA Manager, left)

“Group E comprises Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, two-time winners Ivory Coast, and two-time winners and current title defenders Algeria.

After 26 years, Sierra Leone is finally back on the big stage. The team hopes to advance to the knockouts, but that surely won’t be an easy task in such a competitive group. Just like Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea makes its third appearance in the AFCON. Without any players from top leagues and others lacking a true competitive rhythm, the national squad will have to rely on their overall dynamics as a team if they wish to earn some points in the competition.

In the wake of their defeat against Cameroon and consequent ousting from the Word Cup, the Ivory Coast national team has a lot to prove. If they wish to guarantee at least the second place in the group, the squad will have to depend on Kessié’s vision and leadership in the midfield and hope that attacker Sébastien Haller, whose finishing ability has been rather impressive in Ajax, rises to the occasion.

Lastly, defending champion Algeria wishes not only to lift the trophy again, but also to set a new record in international football: the Algerians remain undefeated for 33 matches, and they hope to surpass Italy, which hasn’t lost any of their last 37 matches. Capitan and star- player Mahrez is vital to the team’s aspirations, and he is sure to lead the squad far in the competition.”

1: Algeria

Odds of winning AFCON: 7.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Man City’s right-winger Riyad Mahrez €40M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Algerian fans like?

Passion, rowdiness, and aggression are keywords that describe Algerian football fans. If you are the captain of the opposing team, make sure to get the penalty shootout on the other side of where they are standing!

What languages do they speak in Algeria?

The official languages of Algeria are Arabic and Tamazight (Berber). More than 99% of the people have one of these languages as their native language. Berber was recognised as a national language by constitutional amendment as recently as 2002 and as an official language in 2016. French is still widely used in media and in schools. The linguistic situation is somewhat tricky, often with a mix of language used, so make sure you get a local expert if you want to localize your content for the Algerian audience. When it comes to the sports and betting sectors, All-in Global have some of the best Algerian translators in the world.

2: Ivory Coast

Odds of winning AFCON: 9.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: AC Milan’s central midfielder Franck Kessié €48M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Ivorian fans like?

Ivorian fans are the African equivalent of the Dutch: Orange, fond of peculiar headwear and ready to party!

These Ivory Coast fans are something else 📣🥁⁣
⁣⁣
⁣#AFCON2019⁣
⁣#IvoryCoast ⁣
⁣#AFCON ⁣
⁣#cotedivoire pic.twitter.com/yeBwSq9kPU

— SoccerGator.io (@Soccergator_io) July 1, 2019

What languages do they speak on the Ivory Coast?

The Ivory Coast was colonised by France in 1842 and French remains the official language. Dioula, a language belonging to the Mande language family, is also taught in schools and is widely spoken in different variants like Dan, Guro, and Jula.

In addition, there are about 70 indigenous languages, all part of the Niger-Congo language family:

Kwa languages like Baoulé, Anyin, and Attié (southeastern quadrant)
Baoulé (east of Lake Kossou and in the capital Yamoussoukro)
Anyi (along the border)
Kru languages like Bete, We, and Dida (southwestern quadrant)
Senufo (Senari)
Kulango
Lobi

3: Sierra Leone

Odds of winning AFCON: 351.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Gaziantep FK’s centre-back Steven Caulker €3.2M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Sierra Leonean fans like?

This is from a pitch invasion in the non-league. At this point, we can only speculate as to what will happen when the Sierra Leonian fans reach the big stage in the upcoming AFCON.

Goal! ⚽️🥅 Fell the passion for #football in Sierra Leone – fans in non-league community football! pic.twitter.com/E8XNWX9UmZ

— Zora Šašková (@ZoraSaskova) February 20, 2018

What languages do the speak in Sierra Leone?

Krio is the most widely spoken language (87%) whereas English is the official language. Mende is spoken by 31%, Temne by 37%, and the other most important languages include Kono, Kissi, Kuranko, Limba, Fula (Pular), Mandingo and Susu. Sierra Leone has a population of 8 million.

4: Equatorial Guinea

Odds of winning AFCON: 301.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: AZ Monza’s central midfielder José Machín €1,2M (transfermarkt.com)

What are the Equatoguinean fans like?

Equatorial Guinea is a bit of a controversial team that has ran into many problems for recruiting players from overseas with questionable ties to this country in Central Africa who became independent from Spain in 1968. They have also been accused of fielding men in women’s matches. Very naughty!

Equatorial Guinea fined $100,000 for crowd trouble during the #AFCON2015 semifinal against Ghana. #SSFootball pic.twitter.com/PITL02VtQo

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) February 7, 2015

What languages do they speak in Equatorial Guinea?

2 in 3 Equatoguineans speak Spanish, particularly those living in the capital of Malabo. French is also an official language, although it’s not used locally except in towns on the border to French-speaking areas. Portuguese became another official language in 2010.

Bantu languages are widely spoken by most African ethnic groups here, while the biggest indigenous languages are Fang, Bube, Benga, Ndowe, Balengue, Bujeba, Bissio, Gumu, Igbo, Pichinglis, Fa d’Ambô, and Baseke which is on the brink of extinction.

GROUP F

Predictions by Roy Pedersen (Founder)

“Probably the toughest group to predict. Tunisia are favourites with the bookmakers to win the group but if I was a betting man, which I am, I would go for Mali instead. Mali recently qualified for the World Cup without conceding one single goal, winning 5 of 6 matches. I’ve also seen what the striker Ibrahima Kone can do. Although a bit inconsistent he was a revelation at times for Sarpsborg 08 in the Norwegian league, scoring 11 goals this season. Mali’s younger national teams had outstanding results back in 2015 and 2017 and if they can reach their full potential in Cameroon, Mali can go a long way. Also the team I will be supporting.

Tunisia are stronger on paper but have been in poor form for quite some time and the atmosphere in the squad is not ideal. They have a defensive style of play and their ability to get a result should not be underestimated, so I feel certain that they will get at least a 2nd place and qualify (top 2 + the four best number 3 teams).

The Gambia won their qualification group against all odds ahead of Gabon, DR Congo, and Angola. How much will it mean that they are lacking championship experience though? It’s their first-ever AFCON and I would not be surprised if they qualify for the knockout stage, with a 3rd place in front of Mauritania who are among the teams with the highest odds of winning (only 5 teams have higher odds).”

1: Mali

Odds of winning AFCON: 24.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Brighton’s central midfielder Yves Bissouma €25M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Malian fans like?

They love the spotlight!

Meanwhile….

For a few minutes earlier this week, the Uganda – Mali match was not visible for fans watching on TV as a supporter stood up in front of the camera. 🤣🇺🇬🇲🇱 pic.twitter.com/ohiwwuiqnc

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) September 8, 2021

What languages do they speak in Mali?

Ethnologue estimates more than 80 languages in Mali, whereas French is the official language and Bambara (46%) is the most common. 13 of the indigenous languages have status as a national status: Bambara, Bomu, Bozo, Dogon, Fulfulde, Hassaniya Arabic, Mamara, Maninkakan, Soninke, Songhay, Syenara, Tamasheq, and Xaasongaxango.

2: Tunisia

Odds of winning AFCON: 17.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: FC Köln’s defensive midfielder Ellyes Skhiri €13M (transfermrkt.com)

What are Tunisian fans like?

This is not related to the national team, but in 2020 300 fans of Tunisian club Croissant Sportif Chebbien (CSC) started sailing to Italy in a protest against their club being sanctioned. The Tweet below also shows a lot of passion from the Eagles of Carthage.

🇹🇳❤️⚽️

Tunisia's fans have shown their passion throughout the #FIFArabCup

Will they be cheering the Eagles of Carthage to another victory in today's quarter-final against Oman? @FTF_OFFICIELLE | @CAF_Online pic.twitter.com/AuLHMKd2gG

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 10, 2021

What languages do they speak in Tunisia?

Most Tunisians speak Tunisian Arabic (Derja) and are literate in Modern Standard Arabic. The use of French is in decline amongst the common man, and public administration is required to communicate in Arabic only, but French remains an important language in business, intellectual domains, science, and medicine.

3: Gambia

Odds of winning AFCON: 71.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Bologna’s left-winger Musa Barrow €20M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Gambian fans like?

Great dancers!

It's time of the year when I host stakeholders, fans and ex-players shedding ideas and tips on way forward to Gambian football.

Live on Freedomnewspaper and Radio, today Monday, 14th October,  2019 at  6 pm GMT. call on WhatsApp +46704791310 or on Skype Baboucarr Fallaboweh pic.twitter.com/lyyAoo2FJO

— Buba Jallow Fallaboweh (@soccercafe1) October 14, 2019

What languages do they speak in Gambia?

Gambia, or The Gambia which is the official name of this small African country, has a population of about 2 million. When it comes to first language speakers the population is divided like this: Mandinka (38%), Pulaar (21%), Wolof (18%), Soninke (9%), Jola (4.5%), and Serer (2.4%). Manjak, Bainouk, Portuguese Creole, and English are each the first language of less than 2% (Wikipedia).

4: Mauritania

Odds of winning AFCON: 251.00 (Unibet)

Most valuable player: Aris Saloniki’s central forward Aboubakar Kamara €3.5M (transfermrkt.com)

What are the Mauritanian fans like?

The Mauritanian football fans sometimes look more like a marching band than a group of football supporters. They are loud and they are happy. The picture below is from cafonline.com.

What languages do they speak in Mauritania?

The 4.65 million people in this country on the west coast of Africa mainly use a mix of Afroasiatic languages. The most important languages are Zenaga-Berber, Tamasheq-Berber, Hassaaniya Arabic, and Standard written Arabic. More than 700 000 people speak French and the official language of the government is Modern Standard Arabic.