Benin’s Course to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations has been determined

February 20th, 2010 | by: shane | Comments Off

Benin will look to put the disappointment of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations to bed by qualifying for a third consecutive nations cup in 2012. The qualifying draw was held today for the 2012 competition which is being co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

With eleven groups the qualifying format will see the eleven group winners qualify as well as the three best runner ups. Benin were seeded in pot 2 and placed in group H where they will face the following sides:

Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda and Burundi

With the presence of Côte d’Ivoire in the group it is likely that Benin will be fighting to qualify as one of the three best runners up. The 2010 Nations Cup proved that Benin cannot yet go toe-to-toe with the giants of African football and Côte d’Ivoire are one of those giants at the moment.

Rwanda on the otherhand are anything but giants. They have only appeared at one Nations cup which was back in 2004, the same tournament where Benin made their debut. Unlike Benin however, that remains the high water mark of success for the Wasps of Rwanda. They were in the running for a place in the 2010 tournament making it to the final stage of qualifying but were outclassed by group mates Algeria, Egypt and Zambia. Benin cannot underestimate Rwanda but will be expecting to take at least four points from their two matches against the Rwandans and all six might be necessary. But it is not an easy task going to Kigali and grabbing a win. Nigeria can partly blame their failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup on the fact that they were only able to get a draw against Rwanda in Kigali.

Burundi like most of the pot 4 sides are true minnows. They have never qualified for the Nations Cup before and will not be expected to do so this time around either. And unlike their neighbors to the north Rwanda, they have no real pedigree of any kind. They are weak on their travels and are not that formidable at home either. If Benin do not win both matches against Burundi they won’t be making the trip to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Benin have work to do if they want to qualify for a third successive Nations Cup but they have the ability ensure that they are one of the 14 sides that will qualify. It will be a tough ask but if they want to be taken seriously by the biggest sides in Africa they will need to prove their mettle once again.