Since when are you a football fan? You watch football nowadays? I am surprised you have been keeping tabs of the tournament fixtures! Which team are your supporting? I hope you are also showing up in the stadium to cheer your teams. You also ‘play football’? Why do you get so happy when watching football? These are some of the reactions I have had to deal with in the recent past – by recent I mean since East Africa hosted the Confederation of African Football (CAF) organized 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN). The tournament was originally planned to be hosted in 2024 but was pushed forward and played between 3rd to 25th August 2025 due to preparation delays. The three countries – Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania were the hosts under a unity bid dubbed ‘Pamoja’. For the first time we turned out in numbers to watch our homegrown talent Harambee Stars carry our national flag high. The last time Kenyan hosted such a tournament was in 1987, so yes —we had every reason to be out in numbers and support cum protect the game 38 years later!
Truth be told, I am not much of a football fan if supporting premier league matches is one of the indicators to go by. I say this out of respect and love for the diehards especially go to depths to catch their favourite football clubs play every season. I once tried to gravitate into becoming a Liverpool FC (LFC) fan – mainly because I then owned a LFC jersey (don’t ask me how I got it) – but also because there were lots of hype about two sons of the continent soil – Sadio Mane (Senegalese) and Mo Salah (Egyptian) – who were shaking football airwaves in Europe as key LFC players at the time. That aside, my then employer had this staff football fixtures every Friday evening. The idea behind it was to strengthen teamwork and boost our physical wellness after a rather rigorous week of dealing with clients, trying to close sales leads and implementing construction related projects in often remote or tough locations under tight budgets. I would unfortunately exit the company a year later and didn’t quite follow any football related topics, except for a World Cup tournament which took place somewhere in between (Qatar 2022). I have always been enthusiastic about the World Cup since childhood and in later years Africa’s continental football tournaments i.e. Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and CHAN. I like nation’s competitions because they allow me to easily identify the team (s) to root for. It’s easier to decide who to go with when my home country is contesting as was the case in the 2024 CHAN tournament where Kenya was a co-host. Patriotism prevails in such cases. But when my country is not on the list, I naturally incline to a few countries – either because of a belief of certain shared ideals, or historical excellence in tournament football. Growing up, I would hear names of superstars such as Kanu (Nigeria), Okocha (Nigeria), Pelé (Brazil), Zidane (France), Maradona (Argentina) and Ronaldo (Brazil). Hence by default, I inclined to being a fan of their country teams from a tender age. The preference has somewhat lived on to date. I have equally developed a liking for Bafana Bafana following South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup – this was the first time ever for an African nation to host the event. Given football is the most popular sport globally, you can imagine the crowd it attracts. I also have pieces of memory from the 2018 World Cup tournament hosted by Russia where Croatia brought on a spectacular presentation proving that the so-called underdogs can be a force to reckon.
The 2025 festive season was an incredibly entertaining period. Having ‘successfully watched’ most of the 48 games played at the ongoing AFCON 2025 tournament, and with only 4 remaining to officially wrap up the 52-match continental event, I look back at what has been. There were moments of immense tension or high pressure, anxiety, injuries, physical, tactical and technical display of talent on pitch. Some traditionally renowned power houses, including the defending giant, have already been eliminated making predictions as to whose tournament this edition is even more difficult. The infamous Video Assistant Referees have made both good and bad decisions creating room for deserved rewards and premium tears at the same time. Infrastructurally, Morocco’s six cities of Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Fes, Marrakesh and Tangier where the tournament games have been held did not disappoint.
Unlike the CHAN tournament which brings local-based league players from within participant countries, AFCON combines local and international professional players – which means these would be the highest stage to meet Africa’s elite footballers some of whom play in prestigious leagues abroad – e.g. English League, La Liga and Bundesliga. The pressure to represent their nations well is always very high as nobody wants to let their citizens down. And with that kind of performance pressure; these starts have made the tournament’s 4,680+ hours of football such a thriller drama show. Players aside, the 12th man has been showing up in numbers to enrich the experience. And one such fan was Democratic Republic of Congo’s human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga who brought on memories of the nation’s first prime minister Patrice Lumumba at every game that DRC played. Kuka stood on a small pedestal at a statue position all through the 90 + minutes of all the 4 games played by DRC team. Unfortunately, his gesture was cut short in a last-minute goal concession during Congo’s knockout game against Algeria.
With just 4 teams – Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Egypt left in the race to the semi-finals this Wednesday 14th January 2026, the battle and drama can only get more complicated as each country puts their best foot forward in the hopes of emerging victorious through to the final battle on Sunday, 18th January.
But before the finale drama,
Here are a few lessons worth reminding as the tournament edges to an end:
- Never allow your opponents to get comfortable in your backyard, you get punished for it.
- Maintain tactical discipline throughout your pursuits, an early lead doesn’t always guarantee a final win.
- Time management is of the essence, and every second counts. Do everything possible to avoid last minute surprises – this may entail creating unnecessary excuses.
- Avoid exposing yourself to situations that give your opponent an upper hand. But if you find yourself in such situations, keep the hope alive that you can still carry the day —- but double effort might be required.
- Higher possession doesn’t always translate to the last laugh. What you do with the few chances that you have is more important.
- When things are not working out as planned, don’t wait until it is too late to make the necessary fixes.
- Always keep your impact actors ready to become your last arsenal.
- The game will not always be fair as man is to error. Keep that in mind to avoid anger which can lead to further damage.
- Do not be a sore loser, when defeated accept the outcome and move on. Of importance is to take the valuable lessons learnt to avoid future mistakes.
- Teamwork takes the team far, but individual talent can get you top of the scoreboard. Combine both to ascent further.
- Do not allow yourself to be exposed because of a banter gone very wrong. Respect your opponents and their fans, regardless of who wins.
- It’s not over until it is over, push and keep pushing until the final whistle.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the USA beginning June 11th to July 19th. That’s right! We are 150 days away from yet another intriguing learning season. Tik Tok!
Until the next inter-nations grand football party, happy moments enjoying upcoming tournaments near you.
