Reacting to the Gambia’s Group A status, Scorpions Coach Jonathan McKinstry described the group as one of opportunities while emphasizing a calm and humble approach. “Overall, it’s a group that provides a lot of opportunities for us. There are games that we have ambitions to win and collect maximum points in. But it’s important to stay humble and grounded because none of the opponents will be an easy opposition.”
McKinstry acknowledged the statistical differences between the Group opponents and The Gambia but reaffirmed his confidence in the Scorpions. “We respect these teams for their achievements, but we also know that our players can win these games both at home and away.”
On logistical arrangements ahead of the qualifiers proper, the Irish tactician however noted that despite the challenges in travelling to far side of Madagascar and Comoros, “we need to work with the federation and government to ensure smooth travel logistics so that our players step on the field in those away games at one hundred percent.”
Tunisia is the top seeded side in Group A and reacting to their pedigree, McKinstry noted the strong record of the 2004 Afcon Champions and World Cup finalists but pointed out their recent struggles across Africa. “Tunisia is a difficult opponent, but they have had some difficulties recently. North African teams sometimes struggle in Banjul, so there are opportunities for us against Tunisia, Madagascar, and Comoros. We definitely have the players and team spirit to take maximum points, but there’s a lot of hard work ahead.” McKinstry however holds the view that a win for our home matches are crucial and as such playing at the Independence Stadium in the Gambia is extremely essential. “We’ve obviously mentioned the importance of support from the federation and government in terms of our travel logistics for the away games. I think, the big factor is that we really push on and ensure that the Independence Stadium is ready by the August deadline so that Gambian supporters can come out in their thousands and be the twelfth man, helping us secure the points needed to return to the Africa Cup of Nations for a third time The Gambia is drawn in Group A alongside Tunisia, Madagascar, and Comoros and will seek a third consecutive appearance at the finals in Morocco 2025 under Coach Jonathan McKinstry The Scorpions two times Afcon finalists will face Tunisia, Madagascar and Comoros as the Gambia eyes for a return to the continental showpiece for a third time running The qualifiers set to begin in September 2024 will be concluded with the top two teams in each group securing qualification for the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco.
AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Gambia’s Group Opponents Revealed
