Benin: Gernot Rohr discusses upcoming challenges with the Cheetahs | OneFootball

Gernot Rohr

Recently, Gernot Rohr, head coach of Benin, spoke out. The coach shared his thoughts on Benin's qualification for AFCON 2025 and the upcoming fixtures.

Speaking on Aquitélé, former Bordeaux manager Gernot Rohr touched on Benin's upcoming assignments. The Beninese national team has qualified for the next Africa Cup of Nations, thanks in large part to Rohr at the helm. The German tactician is delighted with this achievement.

"It's true that Benin has never participated in a World Cup and has only rarely taken part in AFCON. Our qualification for AFCON comes at the right time, especially since it's been two years since we've been able to play a single home match due to our stadium not being approved. As a result, we've had to play all our 'home' games away, specifically in Ivory Coast. Despite that, we've managed to qualify." he stated.

As for the qualifiers for the next World Cup, Gernot Rohr set the tone.

"We're going to play against Zimbabwe and Lesotho, two opponents we should be facing at home, but we'll have to play them in Ivory Coast, on neutral ground. These are two teams we want to beat, and if we do, we'll have a shot at finishing in the top two. We'll then have two away trips to wrap things up, in Rwanda and Nigeria. We beat Nigeria in the first leg in Ivory Coast, which was a huge surprise (smiles). They're behind us in the standings, which is an even bigger surprise. Anything is possible. South Africa has the best squad along with Nigeria, with the best players. If we could join the fight for the top two spots, it would be a small miracle." the Cheetahs' head coach confided.