Benin will have to shake off the disappointment of coming so close to qualifying for their first ever FIFA World Cup. Going into the last match day of World Cup Qualifying they topped a group which included South Africa and Nigeria. But a 4-0 thumping to Nigeria in Lagos led to Benin missing out. But the qualifying campaign showed that Benin are more than capable of competing with some of the top nations on the continent.
Benin will have to deal with adversity at this AFCON right from the start, as 5 regular starters are set to miss their opening match against DR Congo due to yellow card accumulation during the qualifiers. This would cause massive adversity for any nation, but in particular Benin as they have a very settled starting XI, with Gernot Rohr not making too many changes to his squad.
Les Guépards face a very difficult group, with DR Congo and Senegal among the favorites to lift the AFCON trophy in January, as well as a resurgent Botswana side who will be eager to make an impact in their second ever Africa Cup of Nations appearance.
Benin have recently gone through a facelift in regards to their nickname. No longer known as Les Ecureuils (The Squirrels), Benin will now be known as Les Guépards (The Cheetahs).
Potential Starting XI
Coach
Gernot Rohr
The German head coach has quite a resume in African national team football, having coached Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and now Benin.
Players to Watch
Steve Mounié
Age: 31
Position: CF
Caps/Goals: 66/22
Club: Alanyaspor (Türkiye)
Benin’s leader from the front. Mounié will cause defenses plenty of problems with his robustness and physicality. Currently 2nd all time in goals for his country.
Junior Olaitan
Age: 23
Position: AM/RW
Caps/Goals: 34/5
Club: Göztepe SK (Türkiye)
One of the most exciting names in Beninese football at the moment. Olaitan currently plays in the Turkish top flight and started every AFCON 2025 qualifying match for Benin.
Benin Schedule
December 23, 2025 vs. DR Congo – Rabat
December 27, 2025 vs. Botswana – Rabat
December 30, 2025 vs. Senegal – Tangier
Country Information
Did you know…
Benin used to be knowns as the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was partially famous for having an all-female elite warrior unit known as the Dahomey Amazons.
