African Five-a-side

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi recaps the first leg of the semi-finals of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. -----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comAfter the uprising https://africasacountry.com/2025/04/after-the-uprisingFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi previews the Egypt vs South Africa semi-finals of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. -----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comTariffs, Trump, and the Global Southhttps://africasacountry.com/2025/04/tariffs-trump-and-the-global-southFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi recaps the last match of the quarterfinals of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. -----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comRedefining Sahelian diplomacyhttps://africasacountry.com/2025/03/redefining-sahelian-diplomacyFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi recaps 3/4 matches of the second leg of the quarterfinals of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. -----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comRedefining Sahelian diplomacyhttps://africasacountry.com/2025/03/redefining-sahelian-diplomacyFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi previews the second leg of the quarterfinals of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. -------------------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comLiberal internationalism after USAIDhttps://africasacountry.com/2025/03/liberal-internationalism-after-usaidFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi recaps matchday 6 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Africa. This week, Nigeria squandered an opportunity to catch up with South Africa, while Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon excelled.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comImperial belonging and the weaponisation of the sea https://africasacountry.com/2025/03/imperial-belonging-and-the-weaponization-of-the-seaFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi previews the quarterfinals of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League as Mamelodi Sundowns take on Esperance de Tunis, MC Algiers host Orlando Pirates, Al Ahly and Al Hilal clash and Pyramids play AS FAR.

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi recaps matchday 6 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Africa. This week, Nigeria squandered an opportunity to catch up with South Africa, while Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon excelled.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comImperial belonging and the weaponization of the seahttps://africasacountry.com/2025/03/imperial-belonging-and-the-weaponization-of-the-seaFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi recaps Matchday 5 action of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Africa. Over the last 72 hours, Egypt impressed versus Ethiopia. Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco managed narrow victories in Ramadan, while Nigeria and South Africa began their race to the 2026 World Cup in Group C.--------------------------------------------------------FIFA's Double Standardshttps://africasacountry.com/2025/03/fifas-double-standardsThis podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, Maher Mezahi previews Matchday 5 and 6 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Africa.--------------------------------------------------------FIFA's Double Standardshttps://africasacountry.com/2025/03/fifas-double-standardsThis podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

Last weekend, Jamie Carragher made headlines when he mentioned that Mo Salah might be less respected for Ballon D'Or voting because he represents Egypt in international football and competes in the Africa Cup of Nations, which he doesn't believe is a "major" tournament.

The draw for the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League took place this Thursday so we reacted to the matchups that were drawn for the quarterfinals

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we recap the winter transfer window to examine which clubs best re-tooled ahead of the knockout stages of the CAF Interclub competitions, and we also recapped some major moves African footballers made in Europe.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThe Inheritance of Hope: https://africasacountry.com/2025/01/t...Algeria and France's endless rift: https://africasacountry.com/2025/02/a...

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we recap this weekend's action at the Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. We also give our takeaways between Pyramids FC and Zamalek as well as RS Berkane and AS FAR.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comJacob Zuma's enduring relevance: https://africasacountry.com/2025/01/jacob-zumas-enduring-relevanceFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we go position by position and name who we thought were the best players of the CAF Champions League group stages. Let us know who you think we missed out on!This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we recap matchday 6 of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. Timestamps in the comments below!-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we preview matchday 6 of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. Timestamps in the comments below!-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we recap matchday 5 of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

TIMESTAMPS:01:26 - Discussion on VAR in the CAF Champions League06:54 - TP Mazembe vs Young Africans review15:17 - Stade d'Abidjan vs Orlando Pirates review21:14 - Mouloudia Algiers vs Al Hilal review31:24 - Esperance vs Pyramids review37:14 - Mamelodi Sundowns vs Raja reviewMatchday 3 of the CAF Champions League has come and gone. Al Hilal and Esperance de Tunis continued to cruise the competition, but real questions have emerged about the necessity of VAR in the CAF Champions League. In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we review Matchday 3 of the African Champions League.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comAfrica's sibling rivalry: https://africasacountry.com/2024/12/africas-sibling-rivalryTyla and the politics of ambiguity: https://africasacountry.com/2024/12/tyla-and-the-politics-of-ambiguityFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

TIMESTAMPS:04:47 - Sagrada Esperança vs Esperance de Tunis review09:15 - Orlando Pirates vs Al Ahly review19:19 - Stade d'Abidjan vs CR Belouizdad review24:20 - Mouloudia Algiers vs Young Africans review27:12 - AS FAR vs Mamelodi Sundowns review30:05 - Djoliba vs Pyramids FC preview31:58 - Al Hilal vs TP Mazembe previewWe snoozed through 7/8 matches of matchday 2 of the CAF Champions League. Most matches were affected by high temperatures, long distances travelled and some stadiums being in altitude. In this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we review Matchday 2 of the African Champions League.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comTaking a stand documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rM8_n0XjqwTaking a stand article: https://africasacountry.com/2024/05/taking-a-standFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

TIMESTAMPS:02:09 - Can Niger keep up momentum?11:44 - Emilio Nsue suspension22:42 - Is the CAF CL getting boring?27:53 - How can West African clubs compete in CAF CL?36:05 - Should CAF introduce Nations League?This episode of the African football round-up, is a mailbag episode where we answer the questions that you send in! We answer questions about a possible CAF Nations League, West African clubs in the CAF CL, Emilio Nsue and the Niger national team-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFIFA decision on Emilio Nsue: https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/451be0f530729bab/original/Mr-Emilio-Nsue-Lopez_10052024.pdfFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

TIMESTAMPS:01:30 - TP Mazembe vs MC Algiers recap07:37 - Young Africans vs Al Hilal recap17:18 - Mamelodi Sundowns vs Maniema Union recap19:11 - CR Belouizdad vs Orlando Pirates recap25:03 - Pyramids vs Sagrada Esperanca recap27:59 - Esperance vs DjolibaIn this episode of the African football round-up, we recap the first matchday of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. It was a round of matches in which some of Africa's top young talent showed up as Orlando Pirates stole a match in Algiers, last year's finalists Esperance and Ahly dominated, and Sundowns disappointed.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comRussian and waiting: https://africasacountry.com/2024/11/rushing-inFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

TIMESTAMPS:01:41 - TP Mazembe vs MC Algiers09:59 - Young Africans vs Al Hilal16:10 - Mamelodi Sundowns vs Maniema Union19:50 - Raja vs AS FAR22:17 - Al Ahly vs Stade d'Abidan25:52 - CR Belouizdad vs Orlando Pirates31:05 - Pyramids vs Sagrada Esperanca32:41 - Esperance vs DjolibaIn this episode of the African football round-up, we preview the first matchday of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. We take a look at all eight matches and make predictions about their outcomes. We're particularly looking forward to watching newcomers such as Maniema Union and Djoliba make their mark.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comWhy are African artefacts everywhere but Africa: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/11/why-are-african-artifacts-everywhere-but-africaFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

2025 Afcon qualifying is officially a wrap, so we took the time to power rank all 24 teams that have qualified for Morocco 2025 and we reflect on our thoughts on the teams from what we've seen over the last three monthsAfrica Is A Country YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29aKwRSbAQKhcNc8DqyETg-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:Liberation is not propaganda: https://africasacountry.com/2024/11/liberation-is-not-propagandaNot exactly at arm's length: https://africasacountry.com/2024/11/not-exactly-at-arms-lengthFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

TIMESTAMPS:06:42 - Niger vs Sudan analysis17:12 - Benin vs Nigeria analysis26:40 - Angola vs Ghana analysis32:58 - Uganda vs South Africa analysis37:06 - Botswana vs Mauritania analysis40:20 - Algeria vs Equatorial Guinea analysisIn this episode of the African football round-up, we head to the film room to break down some of the matches we during matchday 5 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiersWe were not impressed by Nigeria's defending versus Benin as the likes of Troost-Ekong and Bassey made simple errors. Sudan's undoing was more of a stylistic issue versus Niger. We also briefly speak on Angola vs Ghana, Uganda vs South Africa, Botswana vs Mauritania and Algeria vs Equatorial Guinea-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:Mozambique and the politics of popular uprising: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/11/mozambique-and-the-politics-of-popular-uprisingRuto's Kenya: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/11/rutos-kenyaFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveasidehttps://www.instagram.com/africanfiveside/

TIMESTAMPS:03:15 - Group A preview11:18 - Group B preview13:49 - Group C preview16:41 - Group D preview19:22 - Group E and F preview20:43 - Group G preview22:29 - Group H preview24:22 - Group I preview25:41 - Group J preview26:58 - Group K preview27:56 - Group L previewIn this episode of the African football round-up, we preview the final two matchdays of 2025 Afcon qualifying. Some teams have qualified, some are eliminated, and some have all to play for! Everything is on the line for world football's greatest tournament.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this reaction video we celebrate the life and legacy of Rachid Mekhloufi as it's been reported that he passed away in Paris at the age of 88-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

TIMESTAMPS:02:07 - Maher Mezahi on Paradou 17:12 - Lorenz Kohler on Stellenbosch33:58 - Salim Masoud Said on AzamIn this episode of the African football round-up, we take a look at three non mainstream African clubs: Paradou, Stellenbosch and Azam. Maher Mezahi breaks down Paradou while Lorenz Kohler and Salim Masoud Said analyse Stellenbosch and Azam.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:The real Rwanda: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/10/the-real-rwandaJoão Lourenço's American pivot: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/10/joao-lourencos-amercan-pivotThe end of Mozambique's two-party system: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/10/the-end-of-mozambiques-two-party-systemFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveaside

In this episode of the African football round-up, we analyse the 2024 CAF African player of the year longest and whittle it down to a few candidates that we think are deserving of the African player of the year award.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:The mine dumps of Silicon Valley: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/10/the-mine-dumps-of-silicon-valleyFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveasidehttps://www.instagram.com/africanfiveside/

TIMESTAMPS:02:12 - Ghana vs Sudan breakdown15:57 - Reviewing Senegal's six points and previewing their big coaching decision20:21 - Tunisia are rudderless24:45 - Morocco are still flying27:16 - Algeria are coming along nicely28:44 - Egypt, Cameroon, DR Congo, Angola have qualified to the Afcon33:08 - Sudan, Mali and South Africa make good progress but not through yet37:15 - Match-ups to look out for in NovemberIn this episode of the African football round-up, we summarise what we learned from matchday 4 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiersWe talk about how Ghana have to do a hard reset, how Tunisia are rudderless due to a skeleton federation, and we discuss who Senegal should target as their next coach.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:The mine dumps of Silicon Valley: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/10/the-mine-dumps-of-silicon-valleyThis is not the Black Stars level, we've mismanaged our way there: https://3news.com/sports/this-is-not-the-black-stars-level-weve-mismanaged-our-way-there/Follow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveasidehttps://www.instagram.com/africanfiveside/

TIMESTAMPS:01:40 - Senegal vs Malawi analysis08:44 - Egypt vs Mauritania analysis15:08 - Algeria vs Togo analysis19:20 - Morocco vs Central African Republic analysis24:32 - Tunisia vs Comoros analysis29:57 - Ghana vs Sudan analysisIn this episode of the African football round-up, we head to the film room to break down some of the matches we watched in matchday 3 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiersWe were impressed by Pape Thiaw's Senegal, Vladimir Petkovic's Algeria, Walid Regragui's Morocco and Hossam Hassan's Egypt. Ghana and Tunisia were the two teams that we were not impressed by.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:What does Africa want?: https://africasacountry.com/2024/10/what-does-africa-wantFuel's Errand: https://africasacountry.com/2024/10/fuels-errandFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveasidehttps://www.instagram.com/africanfiveside/

TIMESTAMPS:01:05 - Which countries have never qualified for the Afcon?04:10 - How teams have qualified for the Afcon over the last ten years11:54 - Does CAR have what it takes?16:24 - Raoul Savoy interview34:32 - Abdul Musa interviewIn this episode of the African football round-up, we ask the question: what does it take to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations?To answer the question we looked at what nations that qualified to their first Afcon did over the last decade or so. We also spoke to Central African Republic coach Raoul Savoy and interviewed him as we believe that they could be next! We also spoke to Abdul Musa to find out how Sudan have been playing great football despite domestic political problems.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.com

All across the continent, we had our eyes on the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup draw. We took the opportunity to give our first thoughts on how the groups are made up.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.com

We're back with a mailbag episode of the African football round-up!We asked you, the listeners, for your questions on African football and you sent them in. In this episode, we talk about reforming the CAF Champions League, how smaller nations in Africa have improved, the Saudi-CAF partnership, as well as how Sudan's big clubs are playing in exile in Mauritania.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:The appearance of democracy: https://africasacountry.com/2024/09/the-apperance-of-democracySudan's cultural devastation: https://africasacountry.com/2024/09/sudans-cultural-devastationFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveasidehttps://www.instagram.com/africanfiveside/

We are just about set for the group stages of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League group stages. Before the draw, we figured it would be the perfect time to speak about the teams that qualified and point out who are favourites, surprises and "question mark" teams were.-----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comThis week's must-reads:From Naija to Abidjan: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/09/from-naija-to-abidjanThe freedom to move: https://www.africasacountry.com/2024/09/the-freedom-to-moveFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveasidehttps://www.instagram.com/africanfiveside/

The international break has begun! Salim Masoud Said joins to speak about Emerse Fae and Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco and Regragui, and Tanzanian fans' no-show to support the Taifa Stars. Cameroonian journalist Giovanni Wanneh also joins to explain what is happening between the ministry of sport and the football federation in his country. -----------------------This podcast is brought to you by: www.africasacountry.comFollow us on social media:https://twitter.com/AfricanFiveSidehttps://www.tiktok.com/@african.fiveasidehttps://www.instagram.com/africanfiveside/

Welcome to a new year in African football!We kick off year 2 of the African Five-a-side podcast with the first edition of the African Football-Round up and looking ahead to the upcoming international break! This year we'll be rotating guest hosts, and for our first show, we have brought on Salim Masoud Said to talk about Regragui, Morocco, Saintfiet, Mali, McKinstry, The Gambia, Algeria and Tanzania! We also speak to the new coach of the Gambian men's national football team, Johnny McKinstry.Enjoy!

The 2024 Paris Olympics are over, and it's almost time for the beginning of another footballing season. We quickly recap how African countries did at the Olympics and highlight five Africans that have switched clubs that could impress this season in their respective leagues.

In this episode, we discuss women's welterweight boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and how Imane Khelif has found herself in the middle of a culture war with people calling her 'male' or 'trans'. We try to rectify some of those lies and delve into who Khelif is as a personMy take on the bullying Imane Khelif has faced: https://africasacountry.com/2024/08/rolling-with-the-punchesCheck out Africa Is A Country: https://africasacountry.com

In just a matter of week, Rhulani Mokwena left his job at Mamelodi Sundowns and signed with Wydad Casablanca. Is this a great rebound for Africa's best young tactician or is it a case of happy feet?

We now know who is in what group of the 2025 Afcon qualifiers, and so we decide to do a group-by-group preview of the qualifiers with some initial thoughts just a few months before they kick-off

In this new episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we preview the upcoming international break as the African continent gets set to host the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Some of the dominant narratives take place in Cameroon, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco.

In the second leg of the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League, Al Ahly beat Esperance de Tunis 1-0. Ramy Rabia forced an own goal in the opening five minutes, giving Al Ahly their 12th Champions League title. Host Maher Mezahi analyzed the match to cap off our Champions League coverage.

*WE APOLOGISE ABOUT THE AUDIO QUALITY OF THIS EPISODE, WE MADE A ONE-TIME MISTAKE THAT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN*Please check out www.africasacountry.comEsperance de Tunis and Al Ahly are set to battle it out during the second leg of the CAF Champions League final in Cairo. The first leg finished 0-0 in Tunis and with the away goals rule still in effect, all is to play for.

Prior to the CAF Champions League final, we speak to Al Ahly fan Ahmed Assem about the prospects of the Red Devils securing their record-extending 12th title in the competition. We also ponder the existence of football DNA and ask: What makes Al Ahly Al Ahly?

In the second leg of the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League, Esperance de Tunis and Al Ahly put in mature performances and managed to qualify past TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns

This week we look back on what exactly happened between USM of Algiers and RS Berkane in the semi-final of the CAF Confederation Cup. Their scheduled match was never actually played because of a political controversy that we try to explain

During the first leg of the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League semi-finals, Esperance de Tunis nullified Mamelodi Sundowns' attacking threat and managed to win by a goal at home. Meanwhile Al Ahly left Lubumbashi with a nil-nil draw

We're into the final four of the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League and so this episode of the African Five-a-side podcast delves into a preview of Saturday's matches between Esperance de Tunis and Mamelodi Sundowns and TP Mazembe versus Al Ahly.

The second leg of the quarterfinals of the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League took place on Saturday evening as TP Mazembe travelled to Luanda to take on Petro and Esperance travelled to Abidjan to take on ASEC Mimosas.The Congolese and Tunisian champions came away victorious on the evening and now set up juicy quarterfinals against Al Ahly and Sundowns in two weeks' time.

Friday night's two matches had very different tones. While Tanzania's Yanga pushed AFL champions, Mamelodi Sundowns to the brink, their compatriots, Simba, couldn't muster up the same fight vs Al Ahly of Egypt.In this episode we discuss the general ideas of idealism versus pragmatism and if Sundowns are fit to overcome mental hurdles