TotalEnergies CAF AFCON: Meet the Coaches - Group D

• Djamel Belmadi is chasing another TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d’Ivoire 2023 glory with Algeria


• Amir Abdou is leading Mauritania to a third successive AFCON finals


• Pedro Gonçalves is eyeing more history with Angola


• Hubert Velud expects to rely on his vast Africa experience to shine with the Stallions

Djamel Belmadi will be chasing his second AFCON trophy after winning it with Algeria in 2019.

Hubert Velud, after making an appearance with Togo despite qualifying them in 2010 due to an attack on his team, has another opportunity to make history with Burkina Faso.

CAFOnline.com looks at the exciting lineup of coaches in Group D.

Djamel Belmadi - Algeria

For the third successive time, Djamel Belmadi will be leading Algeria to a TotalEnergies CAF AFCON tournament.

He managed to end the country of his birth’s 29-year wait for an AFCON trophy in 2019 when he guided them to victory.

Belmadi made 20 appearances for the Algerian national team from 2000 to 2004 and played his club football for French giant Olympic Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain.

Though a tough one, Algeria is one of the favorites to win the trophy in Côte d'Ivoire.

Hubert Velud - Burkina Faso

Born in France, Velud played as a goalkeeper for Stade de Reims. He hung his boots in 1990 and became a manager.

He has vast experience on the Africa continent at the club level. He has managed ES Sètif, USM Algiers TP Mazembe in 2012, 2013, and 2016, respectively.

In 2010, he led the Togolese national team to the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.

Sixteen years on, Velud has another opportunity to play in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, this time with Burkina Faso, and they are in a group they can manage and progress.

Amir Abdou - Mauritania

The Mauritanian national team will be coached by Amir Abdou, who hails from Comoros.

Amir spent eight years coaching the Comoros national team, where he managed to qualify them for their first Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in 2021.

After guiding Mauritania to what is their third consecutive qualification for the finals of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, a knockout stage qualification will be in sight for Amir Abdou.

Pedro Gonçalves - Angola

Born in Angola, Pedro Gonçalves has passed through the ranks as a coach for the various Angolan national teams.

He started with the Angolan U-17 team in 2018 after stints with 1º de Agosto. He won the Cosafa Cup and also qualified them for their first-ever U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2019.

This led to his appointment as the head coach of the U-20 and U-23 national teams before getting the nod as the head coach of the national team in 2019.

He qualified for the CHAN tournament in 2022 and finished second in his group.

Gonçalves capped what has been a top performance so far with Angola with TotalEnergies CAF AFCON qualification in 2023.