Nene Dorgeles was named the standout player as the first round of Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying produced impressive displays from Mali, Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon and DR Congo.
The opening round was played from Thursday to Saturday, with 24 matches involving the 48 competing nations. The team of the round was selected using player ratings provided by partner Sportmonks.
Togo goalkeeper Malcolm Barcola made the biggest contribution between the posts in his side’s 1-0 victory over Burundi. The Ittihad Tanger keeper made five saves to protect his team’s narrow lead and received a higher rating than Yassine Bounou, despite the Morocco goalkeeper’s outstanding performance in the 2-0 win against Gabon.
The defence features two Morocco internationals, Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui, alongside DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba and Namibia’s Riaan Hanamub.
Aguerd produced a composed display against Gabon, winning four aerial duels and providing the assist for Mazraoui’s goal. Mbemba scored a header in DR Congo’s 2-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea and also made several important defensive interventions.
Mazraoui was deployed on the left on Friday, but is selected at right-back in this XI. He contributed in attack by combining with Ez Abde and Azzedine Ounahi before finding the net against the Panthers.
Hanamub was influential in Namibia’s 1-0 win over Congo, registering an assist and creating three key passes.
Midfield quality
The midfield is made up of Libya’s Maruwan Alhibeeshi, Zimbabwe’s Marshall Munetsi and Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza.
Alhibeeshi, a 22-year-old who plays for Al-Ahli in Libya, scored against Botswana in a 2-2 draw and supplied two key passes as his side mounted a late comeback.
Munetsi scored twice in Zimbabwe’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Sierra Leone and also created two key chances.
Maza played a major role in Algeria’s 3-1 win over Zambia, which came in Brahim Hemdani’s first match as manager. The young attacking midfielder scored one goal and set up another.
Cameroon forward Danny Namaso completes the attack after scoring and providing an assist in the 3-1 victory over Comoros.
Botswana striker Tumisang Orebonye also makes the side after scoring twice against Libya, although Botswana conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
The highest-rated player of the opening round was Mali winger Nene Dorgeles. He scored twice as the Eagles beat Cape Verde 3-1 and placed three of his attempts on target. His rating of 8.95 was the best in the selected team.