Sébastien Desabre: “Every Match Will Be Battle in Group D”

Sébastien Desabre, coach of the DR Congo Leopards, shared his opinions on Group D and his team's goals as the responses to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) draw keep coming in.

"The 2026 World Cup qualifiers are still our top priority," Desabre underlined, “This requires our full concentration before we can shift attention entirely to the AFCON. We will prepare seriously to meet our objectives.”

Benin, Botswana, and Senegal are all in Group D, with Senegal being the overwhelming favorite.

"Senegal’s one of the strongest teams on the continent, with world-class players competing at the highest level," Desabre said, acknowledging the challenge presented by the defending African champions.

We know them well, as they’re also in our World Cup qualifying group. We played them in Dakar last June (1–1) and will face them again in September in Kinshasa.”

Despite Senegal’s dominance, Desabre remains confident in his squad’s potential.

Desabre acknowledges the competition's difficulty, saying, "It's a tough group, but that's expected at this level”.

Nearly every elite African team will be present. We knew we would be up against favorite because we were in the second pot. Every game will be challenging, but we believe we can succeed.

On 23 December 2025, the Leopards will play Benin in Rabat's Al Barid Stadium to begin their afcon campaign.

This opening match will be crucial in setting the tone and accumulating points for Round of 16 qualification.

Desabre’s aware that there’re great expectations after making it to the semifinals in the previous edition, but he maintains a realistic outlook on the difficulties that lie ahead.

“We'll do everything we can to differentiate ourselves in this competitive group and leave our mark on the tournament.”