Lassina Traore of Burkina Faso celebrates goal with teammates during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Sudan and Burkina Faso at the Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco on 31 December 2025 ©Ladjal Djaffar/BackpagePix
Thursday Jan 01, 2026. 11:00
Burkina Faso head coach Brama Traoré is on a mission to deliver his country’s first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
The 63-year-old tactician has guided the Stallions to the Round of 16, where they will take on defending champions Ivory Coast at the Marrakesh Stadium in Marrakesh, Morocco, on January 6.
Burkina Faso have never won the AFCON title, but they did reach the final during the 2013 edition in South Africa and Traore has built a team that is seeking glory.
“We are trying to stand out in the knockout stages. We must continue our work, move forward, and inscribe a golden star on the Burkina Faso national team’s jersey,” Traore told the media.
“Our players are determined to make the difference and to achieve good results in this edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
“What matters to us are the results and the fact that we are representing our country. Before the match, we were already more focused on preparing for the Round of 16,” he added.
“We had to rotate the squad for the match against Sudan, and we decided to rest some players ahead of the next round.”
If Burkina Faso overcome Ivory Coast, they will take on either Benin or Egypt in the quarter-finals on January 10 in Agadir.