Angola’s national team head coach, Pedro Gonçalves, has set his sights on securing a victory against the Black Stars of Ghana in their upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
Ghana and Angola find themselves in the same group for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, alongside Sudan and Niger. The Black Stars will host the first leg against Angola in September, with the return leg scheduled for November 2024 in Luanda.
Despite Ghana’s recent struggles in the last two AFCON tournaments, held in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, Gonçalves remains confident in the strength of the Black Stars. He emphasized that Ghana, a four-time African champion, continues to be a formidable force in African football.
“I’ve been with the Angolan national team for five years, one of the longest tenures along with Senegal’s Cissé. We have a plan and a mentality that we want to be among the top footballing nations in Africa. To do that, you need to challenge yourself by playing against the best teams. It’s not about fear, but about rising to the occasion. Playing against Ghana is wonderful; they are the third-best team in Africa, with only Egypt and Cameroon having a better history,” Gonçalves told Ghanasportspage.com.
“Ghana has quality players from the Premier League, Ligue 1, Portugal, and other top leagues around the world. For us, it’s a big opportunity—not a question of fear, but of bravery. We want to challenge ourselves, do our best, and aim to secure three points. We will give everything to achieve that,” he added.
Angola will kick off their TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 Qualifiers campaign with an away match against Ghana at the Baba Yara Stadium on September 5.
