Angola is the team with the most victories in the world in 2024

The team led by Portuguese Pedro Gonçalves has already secured a place at CAN 2025

The 1-0 victory over Niger, with a goal from Zini Salvador in the first minute of the game, was decisive for Angola on Tuesday to seal its presence in the final phase of the 2025 African Nations Championship, to be held in Morocco, between December 21 and January 18, 2026, and reinforce its status as the team with the most victories worldwide in 2024.

Taking into account only official matches, the ‘palancas negras’ have won 12 of 16 matches played – they have a 4/4 record in qualifying for the CAN, for example -, a higher number than Iran, which has won 11 times in 14 matches, as has Qatar. In third place are Spain (10 wins in 11 matches), Japan (10 in 13) and Jordan (10 in 15).

At the 2023 CAN, held at the beginning of the year, the Angolans managed 3 wins in 5 games, as, in the opening round, there was a draw with Algeria (1-1), and the defeat against Nigeria (0-1) led to elimination in the quarter-finals. In between, victories over Mauritania (3-2), Burkina Faso (2-0) and Namibia (3-0). Back in official matches, in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup, in June, there was a victory (Eswatini, 1-0) and a 1-1 draw, against Cameroon.

After that, Angola took part in the COSAFA Cup, and the path they followed was almost flawless: after a goalless draw with Namibia on the first day, four consecutive victories followed, culminating in winning the competition, with a 5-0 victory over Namibia in the final.

Finally, qualification for CAN 2025 has been brilliant, with Pedro Gonçalves’ team winning against Ghana (1-0), Sudan (2-1), and Niger (2-0 and 1-0).