2025 AFCON Group E Match Preview: Sudan vs Burkina Faso

As hostilities in the group phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations gradually wind down, Sudan and Burkina Faso will battle for the second automatic qualification ticket in Group E at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on Wednesday.

Both sides have three points apiece heading into this contest, with Burkina Faso sitting second by virtue of goal difference, while the Falcons of Jediane are third in the table.

Sudan opened their Nations Cup campaign in an unimpressive fashion, falling to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of fellow North Africans Algeria.

Knowing their chances of progress in the competition are dependent on the outcome of their second group encounter, Kwesi Appiah’s men ensured they claimed all three points against Equatorial Guinea with the help of an own goal in the second 45 minutes of the fixture.

That win is only their second in 14 fixtures in Africa’s biggest football tournament since they emerged as champions on home soil in 1970, recording three draws and nine losses in that time.

More importantly, the victory means that the Sudanese are still in the running for an automatic qualification place ahead of their final game against Burkina Faso on Wednesday.

Being a straight shoot-out, Appiah’s men know that a victory will take them over the line, but a draw will be adequate to keep them in the mix as one of the top four third-placed teams at the end of the group stage.

Another possible source of confidence for the North Africans is their 2-1 victory over Wednesday’s opponents in the 2012 edition of the competition.

Meanwhile, Burkina Faso suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Algeria in their penultimate group stage match, leaving them second in Group E.

That outcome snapped their seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions, which included six victories and a draw.

Nevertheless, they remain frontrunners for the second automatic ticket in the group, given that they won their first game in the competition and currently enjoy a better goal difference than Sudan.

Should they emerge as winners on Wednesday, the Stallions will book their place in the round of 16 for the fourth consecutive time, while a loss will see them wait anxiously to see if they will make it as one of the best third-placed teams after the first round.

Going by the pedigree of the Stallions, the Burkinabes should not have many problems navigating the challenge posed by the Sudanese.

Sudan possible starting lineup:

Elneel; Barglan, Saeed Ahmed, Karshom, Khamis; Khidir, Omer, Taifour; Abdallah, Eisa, Abdelrahman

Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:

Koffi; Yago, Dayo, Tapsoba, Kouassi; Sangare, Ouedraogo, Zougrana; Traore, Kabore, Ouattara

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