Benin Republic striker Steve Mounié says the team is highly motivated to return to the Africa Cup of Nations after missing the last two editions in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.
The Cheetahs kick off their 2025 qualifying campaign against Nigeria at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Saturday. The Augsburg forward believes their strong desire to return to Africa’s premier national team football competition will drive them to push for quality results in the qualifiers, starting with Nigeria.
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Mounié, who scored the winning goal when both teams last met in June during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, emphasized the importance of this match for the team.
“We missed the last two CANs and all we want is not to miss this one. So we have a conquering mindset. We want to do great things in this race for qualification, and tomorrow’s match is very important even if it does not define the rest of the qualifications but we are very motivated to qualify for the next CAN,” the striker told the press in Uyo.
Benin head coach Gernot Rohr is also looking to get an upset against Nigeria. “There are no more small teams, anything can happen, and we saw a lot of surprises at the CAN… sometimes being outsiders, maybe with an advantage.”
