Five coaches fired before 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kick off in Morocco

The build-up to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco has been overshadowed by sweeping managerial changes, with five national teams dismissing their head coaches before the tournament starts later this month.

The changes underline the intense pressure within African football, where federations demand immediate improvement despite having already secured qualification.

Angola were the first to act, ending their five-year association with Portuguese coach Pedro Gonçalves on September 18, 2025, just three months before the AFCON.

He guided the Palancas Negras to the 2023 AFCON quarter-finals but left by mutual agreement after a poor start to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The federation said the team needed a new direction to revitalise their campaign.

Zimbabwe followed soon after. German coach Michael Nees was relieved of his duties on October 22, 2025, due to a string of poor results in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

Tanzania also opted for change. The federation dismissed local coach Hemed Suleiman, widely known as “Morocco”. The decision was announced in early November 2025, just a month before the AFCON 2025 finals in Morocco.

Zambia added to the upheaval when Avram Grant departed by mutual consent. The separation was officially announced in late October 2025, less than two months before the AFCON.

Cameroon’s situation proved the most turbulent. A long-running dispute between the sports ministry and the football federation led to Belgian coach Marc Brys being dismissed in December.

Brys has been replaced by one of his former assistants, Cameroonian coach David Pagou, who will lead the team at the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The tournament begins on 21 December 2025 and concludes on 18 January 2026 in Morocco.