Douala: Burkina Faso's Etalons A' coach, Issa Balbon©, has unveiled a list of 25 players to participate in the "Douala Tournament" in Cameroon. This announcement was made during a press conference held on Monday in Ouagadougou. The tournament is part of the preparations for the African Nations Championship (CHAN).
According to Burkina Information Agency, the team is scheduled to depart from Ouagadougou on July 17th, heading to Cameroon for the Douala Tournament, which runs from July 21st to 28th. After the tournament, the local Stallions will proceed to Tanzania, where they will be based for the CHAN. The friendly tournament will feature Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea.
The coach, Balbon©, stated that the objective of the tournament is to fine-tune the team's technical and tactical gameplay while assessing the players' physical condition and team form. Balbon© emphasized the team's ambition for the CHAN, expressing a strong desire to achieve significant results and bring success back to Ouagadougou.
Balbon©'s preparation process began on July 6 with pre-selection activities in Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouagadougou, leading to the selection of 25 players for the Douala tournament. Following this tournament, 23 players will be chosen to participate in the CHAN.
Burkina Faso has been placed in Group B, alongside Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, and the Central African Republic. The opening match of the competition will see Tanzania face Burkina Faso in Dar es Salaam on August 2.
The 2025 CHAN is scheduled from August 2 to 30 and will be hosted across three countries: Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The list of selected players includes:
Goalkeepers: Ladji Sanou (AS SONABEL), Moussa Traor© (ASFAB), Mathieu Convelbo (Rahimo FC)
Defenders: Patrick Malo (USFA), Abass Guiro (ASFB), Enoch Belem (SC Majestic), Christopher Ouattara (Rahimo FC), Walid Guira (AS SONABEL), Hadalou Sagn© (AS Douanes), Khalifa Niki©ma (AS Douanes), Moumoune Diallo (Sporting Cascades)
Midfielders: Abdoulaye Tour© (ASFA-Y), Tertus Bagr© (Real du Faso), Franck Aim© Tologo (Vitesse FC), C©dric Barro (Rahimo FC), Adjibad© Chitou (Real du Faso), Konat© Damassi (AS SONABEL), Ousmane Sirri (ASFB)
Forwards: Romain Athiou (AS SONABEL), Karim Baguian (USFA), Souleymane Sangar© (Sporting Cascades), Youssouf Kabor© (SC Majestic), Eliazar Ouattara (SC Majestic), Yves Koutiama (USFA), Papus Nasser Ouattara (Vitesse FC).