Is AFCON a major tournament?
AFCON doesn’t need European validation to be major—it already is. But the real danger lies in how dismissive narratives shape the value of African football and its players.
19 Articles by:
Maher Mezahi
Maher Mezahi is a football journalist and host of the Africa Five-a-side podcast. Based in Algiers, he is a contributing editor for Africa Is a Country.
Algeria and France’s endless rift
France and Algeria remain locked in a cycle of reconciliation and rupture as the wounds of colonization continue to shape their uneasy relationship.
More French than Algerian
This week, Kamel Daoud became the first Algerian to receive France’s most prestigious literary honor. Yet, in Algeria, no one seems to care.
Rolling with the punches
Removed from the facts, the firestorm around Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is the latest attempt by the right-wing in the West to find fodder for its culture war.
Who are the Olympics for?
Beneath the image of togetherness, the world’s biggest athletic spectacle is still beset by discrimination and exclusion.
United by football?
At the Euros, the French national football team isn’t talking about football, but the threat posed by a resurgent, xenophobic right-wing in Europe.
Taking a stand
The CAF Champions League final and the politics of North-African football ultras.
Post-Afcon blues
Who else sorely misses the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations? Re-live the excitement from the stands in a short video by the AIAC team.
Palestine at AFCON
Palestine solidarity was widespread at the 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, but the tournament’s security apparatus quietly suppressed it.
Explaining AFCON upsets
So far, the group stages have delivered a host of surprises at this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. But, fans of the tournament have long come to expect the unexpected.
AFCON is a playlist
On this second day of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, we’re bringing you a playlist exploring some of the most iconic songs in African football.
AFCON is a tournament like no other
Our host of the African Five-a-Side podcast kicks off his coverage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Matchday 1: Kenneth Kaunda
On the this week’s episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we head to Zambia to name our final starter, an African president who actually liked football.
Matchday 1: Ahmed Sekou Touré
In this week’s episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we delve into how Guinea’s first president, and our midfield destroyer, said “No” to France and “Yes” to football.
Matchday 1: Mobutu Sese Seko
The African Five-a side podcast continues to explore the stories of five African heads of state and their influence on football. This week, we introduce our striker.
Are the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers a new era for African Football?
This week on the African Five-a-side podcast, we take a look at the kick off of the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.