Author: wisdom

AFCON: Senegal’s history in the Africa Cup of NationsAFCON: Senegal’s record edition by editionHaving featured 18 times in the final stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal has built a story marked by patience, setbacks, and a long-awaited moment of glory. Since their debut in 1965, the Lions of Teranga have steadily established themselves among the powerhouses of African football, though not without enduring lengthy absences.AdvertisementTheir AFCON journey reads like a series of defining milestones:– 1965: fourth place– 1968: eliminated in the first round– 1986: first round– 1990: fourth place– 1992: quarter-finals– 1994: quarter-finals– 2000: quarter-finals– 2002: runners-up– 2004:…

Leonard SolmsCloseJack of all sporting trades. Author of my 11-year-old self’s fantasy story about his road to FIFA World Cup glory. Perfecting the art of writing about people who do what I said I was going to do.Dec 16, 2025, 04:05 AM ETThe Africa Cup of Nations (Dec. 21 to Jan 18) takes place in Morocco, with Ivory Coast the defending champions and the likes of South Africa looking to impress ahead of the FIFA World Cup next year.Here is ESPN’s guide to all the teams at AFCON.Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, ComorosMoroccoThe 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists were shocked…

AFCON: Senegal’s history in the Africa Cup of NationsAFCON: Senegal’s record edition by editionHaving featured 18 times in the final stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal has built a story marked by patience, setbacks, and a long-awaited moment of glory. Since their debut in 1965, the Lions of Teranga have steadily established themselves among the powerhouses of African football, though not without enduring lengthy absences.AdvertisementTheir AFCON journey reads like a series of defining milestones:– 1965: fourth place– 1968: eliminated in the first round– 1986: first round– 1990: fourth place– 1992: quarter-finals– 1994: quarter-finals– 2000: quarter-finals– 2002: runners-up– 2004:…

However, Manchester United’s trio of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui will join Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Morocco, respectively.Carlos Baleba, the only Brighton player to have appeared in every game across all competitions this season, will join Mbeumo with Cameroon. They will arrive in extraordinary circumstances after Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, sacked manager Marc Brys over alleged “subterfuge”.Sunderland will lose six of their African players to Afcon. Ex-Atletico Madrid full-back, Reinildo Mandava will play in Mozambique’s opening game against an Ivory Coast side without Sunderland team-mate, Simon Adingra, after the winger was surprisingly left out.Lyle…

Five days before the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco, the moment Africa begins to arrive is not at the stadium gates — but at the airport. Stepping off a flight into Casablanca on Monday night, it is immediately clear that the country has entered AFCON mode. Before luggage belts, before immigration desks, before the familiar hum of arrivals halls, football announces itself. Giant AFCON-branded footballs dominate the terminal. LED screens pulse with tournament colours. Slogans welcoming Africa flash across walls and walkways. From the moment fans land, Morocco’s airports are no longer just transit points — they…

It’s over for Kansas City, the AFC East race is back on, Bo Nix made a major statement, Philip Rivers’s return wasn’t a total disaster, and moreEvery week this NFL season, we will break down the highs and lows—and everything in between—from the most recent slate of pro football. This week brought us a sad and painful end to the Chiefs’ season from hell, a serious injury to the Packers’ best player, Philip Rivers’s almost triumphant return, a Bo Nix statement game, and more. Welcome to Winners and Losers.Loser: Chiefs Invincibility It’s over. For real this time. Kansas City’s run of…

The Athletic has live coverage of Dolphins vs. Steelers on NFL “Monday Night Football.”Stars are hobbling, contenders are being eliminated and spots for the tournament are starting to fill up. The NFL regular season has just three weeks left.We have our first two playoff teams of 2025, and on Sunday, the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams inched a little closer to earning their respective conference’s No. 1 seeds.Four touchdowns from Bo Nix helped the Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers 34-26 and push their win streak to 11. Denver is the league’s lone 12-win team and now a game…

Updated Dec. 15, 2025, 1:06 p.m. ETThe Chiefs’ imminent end appears to have arrived, as the team needs to embrace change.The Green Bay Packers might have had the worst Sunday of any team, losing a number of standout players, most notably Micah Parsons.Reigning MVP Josh Allen propelled the Buffalo Bills to a huge road win over the New England Patriots.”It doesn’t look good” became the regrettable catchphrase of Week 15 in the NFL.It has been some time since injuries have hit so many stars throughout the league on the same day, with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffering a…

The New England Patriots blew a 21-0 lead, and a shot at clinching the AFC East title against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Even though they dominated matters early on in the contest, they were unable to maintain their momentum and eventually saw their division rivals not just claw their way back into the game but escape Foxborough with a 35-31 win.Let’s get into our lessons learned from the Patriots’ 14th game, and third loss, of the season.Drake Maye might not be ready for the moment yetDrake Maye has been playing like an MVP all season, but he didn’t play…

We’re nearly through Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season, and the playoff picture and the road to Super Bowl LX are starting to come into view. Which teams have the best chances to make the 14-team field? Which still have work to do to ultimately get in? The Broncos and Rams have clinched spots, but 12 more are up for grabs.We used ESPN’s Football Power Index to project the rest of the season, looking at the playoff picture for both conferences. We included updated odds for every team to make the postseason, clinch its division and even make the Super Bowl. And we…