Mauritania head coach Lopez Aritz Garai has expressed confidence that the Mourabitounes can secure qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after the official qualifying draw placed them in a challenging Group F.
Mauritania were drawn alongside Burkina Faso national football team, Benin national football team and Central African Republic national football team in a group widely viewed as one of the more competitive sections of the qualifiers.
Both Burkina Faso and Benin featured at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, with Benin reaching the round of 16 during the tournament.
Despite the strength of the opposition, Garai insisted he remains optimistic about Mauritania’s chances of advancing after the six qualifying matches.
“We have a lot of respect for all African teams. We will be facing three nations accustomed to this type of competition, but we have confidence in our work and in the project we are building together,” the coach said through the communications department of the Mauritanian Football Federation.
The Spanish tactician also stressed the importance of unity and home support as Mauritania attempt to continue their rise in African football.
“We will give our all to qualify and make the Mauritanian people proud. We will need our supporters by our side, filling the stadium for each of our home games,” he added.
Mauritania have established themselves as a growing force on the continent in recent years, qualifying for multiple recent AFCON tournaments and gaining valuable experience at the international level.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the qualification campaign scheduled to take place across several FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
