MONROVIA, Montserrado – Liberia’s national soccer team has been drawn in Group E of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, expected to start in September.
The draw, which took place on Thursday, July 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa, saw the Lone Star paired with two-time AFCON champions Algeria and Togo and Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea is also in the same 2024 FIFA World Cup qualifying group as Liberia.
With its recent progress under Romanian coach Mario Marinica, expectations are high for the Lone Star.
The team became the biggest climber in the latest FIFA ranking, moving up to 10 places – from 152nd to 142nd in the world. After a disappointing 2023 campaign in which Liberia failed to win a single game in a calendar year for the first time, Marinica has led Liberia to win two and draw two of the four games played this year.
Liberia will kick off the 2025 AFCONs qualifying campaign with hopes of qualifying for its first AFCONs since 2002. The team has gone 22 years without qualifying for the AFCONs. Its last appearance at the tournament was in 2002 in Mali, where they finished third in Group A after losing one and drawing two of the group-stage games.
To qualify for the 2025 competition, Lone Star must finish first or second in the group. Liberia’s best finish in the AFCON qualifiers since 2002 has been a third-place finish. The country finished third twice in a group of four and third once in a group of three.
In the 2019 qualifiers, with seven points from six games, the Lone Star finished third, losing the qualification spots to Zimbabwe and DR Congo. Liberia also finished third in the 2017 qualifiers with 10 points from six games, losing the qualification spots to Tunisia and Togo.
How has the Lone Star Fared Against their 2025 AFCONs Qualifiers Opponents?
Algeria:
The country has never won against Algeria. The two countries have met six times, with Liberia losing three and drawing three. Liberia scored five and conceded 14 goals in the six games against Algeria. They will meet for the fourth and fifth time in the AFCON qualifiers, with the first and second being the 2000 AFCON qualifiers, where Liberia drew 1-1 at home and lost 4-1 in Algeria. The North Africans won 5-1 against the Lone Star in their last game, a friendly match at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algeria.
Togo:
Liberia has played 17 games with Togo, winning four, losing nine, and drawing four. The Lone Star scored 12 goals and conceded 23 in the 17 games against Togo. They have met in the AFCON qualifiers eight times, with Togo winning five, losing one, and drawing two. The Lone Star surprisingly drew 2-2 with Togo in their last AFCON qualifiers, played at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium on June 5, 2016. Togo came from 2-0 to draw 2-2 with Liberia and needed a win to boost their chance of qualifying going into the last group game against Tunisia.
Equatorial Guinea:
Both countries have met four times. Liberia won one, lost one, and drew two of the four games. Liberia scored five goals against Equatorial Guinea and conceded three goals. Three of Lone Star’s goals and the only win were awarded by FIFA for Equatorial Guinea’s decision to feature an ineligible player when they defeated Liberia 1-0 at the SKD.
Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley, Jr.
