Renard faces Queiroz in an exciting continental clash

Sep 23, 2026

The first round of qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place in the summer of 2027 in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, will feature an anticipated clash between experienced coaches. On Thursday, Ivory Coast, led by Frenchman Hervé Renard, will host Ghana under the guidance of Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz.

This highly awaited showdown between two West African giants in the city of Bouaké is one of the standout matches among the 24 fixtures in the opening round.

Ghana has won the continental title four times, but their last triumph came in 1982, while Renard led Ivory Coast to their second of three titles in the tournament in 2015.

Renard also won the continental title with Zambia in 2012, in one of the biggest surprises in the tournament's 69-year history.

Queiroz came close to winning the title in 2022 with Egypt, which lost the final to Senegal on penalties, a match the Portuguese coach watched from the stands due to suspension.

After stints with clubs in France, England, and Vietnam, Renard focused on coaching national teams, having also managed Angola, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia in two separate terms, as well as the French women's national team.

He took charge of Tunisia during the World Cup this summer after the dismissal of compatriot Sabri Lamouchi following a heavy 1-5 defeat to Sweden; however, the "Carthage Eagles" also lost under his leadership to Japan and the Netherlands.

Ivory Coast did not renew the contract of coach Emerse Faé, who led them to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2024, after their exit in the Round of 32 at this summer's World Cup at the hands of Norway, paving the way for Renard's return.

On the other hand, Queiroz's coaching record includes overseeing Real Madrid and serving twice as an assistant to Scottish Sir Alex Ferguson when the latter was managing Manchester United.

Queiroz took over Ghana just before the 2026 World Cup and managed to transform a team that was struggling with results into a strong side with a solid defense, making them the only team to keep a clean sheet against England during the finals.

This defensive strength is expected to be tested again in Ivory Coast, given Renard's notable attacking options, including Yan Djoumendé, who transferred this summer to Real Madrid, and Newcastle's forward Bayo Toure.

Ghana received a significant blow with the absence of Mohammed Kudus due to injury, which also prevented him from participating in the World Cup.

Regionally, Morocco will host Gabon in Rabat on Friday in Group A, while Egypt will welcome Angola in Cairo in Group B. Algeria will face Zambia at home at 9 PM, and Tunisia will host Uganda, one of the three co-hosts of the finals, on Thursday in Group H.

Setback for Vieira

Among the ten coaches who began the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, only four remain in their positions: Queiroz with Ghana, Hossam Hassan with Egypt, Mohamed Wahbi with Morocco, and Frenchman Sébastien Desabre with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Among those who have resigned, retired, or been dismissed are Renard, Lamouchi, Faé, Bosnian-Swiss Vladimir Petkovic (Algeria), Belgian Hugo Broos (South Africa), Bab Tiao (Senegal), and Bobista (Cape Verde).

Patrick Vieira, a World Cup winner in 1998 with France, has taken over as coach of Senegal in place of Tiao; however, his start has faced a setback due to the lack of an internationally compliant stadium in the country.

Instead of hosting Mozambique on Friday, Senegal will travel to the southern African nation for a match that may prove tougher than the 85-place ranking difference suggests.

Vieira will be missing two of the four players who formed the backbone of the Senegalese team, as goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has retired from international duty, while forward Sadio Mané, now with Al Nassr, is sidelined due to injury.

Pitso Mosimane has been given a second chance to coach South Africa after being dismissed in the early hours following a draw in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia.

Since then, he has enjoyed remarkable success at club level, winning the CAF Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns and twice with Al Ahly.

South Africa will miss injured defenders Mbulelo Mabizela and Khuliso Mudau on Saturday in Soweto against Guinea, who will rely on their top scorer Serhou Guirassy, a forward for Borussia Dortmund.

Bobista achieved impressive results with Cape Verde in the World Cup, drawing with Spain, who later won the title, and taking Argentina to extra time.

Bobista has moved to RS Berkane, while his assistant Umberto Betancourt will take over the role.

Cape Verde will play away against Mali on Friday.