Benin: 16-year-old Parfait Faton called up to the Cheetahs for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers

Benin head coach Gernot Rohr has called up 16-year-old midfielder Parfait Faton to the senior national team for the first time. His name appears on a 25-man list released on October 31, 2026, on the Benin Football Federation's platforms for the double-header against the Central African Republic in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

Faton is described as a versatile midfielder capable of playing as a playmaker, defensive midfielder, or full-back. According to Le Matinal and La Nouvelle Tribune, he was trained at the N'Dali Centre of Excellence in northern Benin before joining the Diambars Academy in Senegal and subsequently AAS Sarcelles in France.

His rise has been rapid. Spotted in July at the WAFU-B tournament with the under-20s, he was named captain of the under-17s shortly after. He now joins the professional squad alongside established players such as Sessi d'Almeida, Junior Olaïtan, and Jodel Dossou.

A gamble that is not universally supported

Rohr's choice has raised concerns regarding the maturity of a player of this age in a high-stakes qualifying campaign. "I just fear that we are sending such a promising prospect to the slaughterhouse," confided columnist Serge Agoli Agbo, as quoted by Africafoot, who describes it as a bold gamble.

The return of Ahouangbo

The other notable move in this squad is the recall of 23-year-old Mariano Ahouangbo, who had been sidelined since the last AFCON. The player has been a regular starter for FC Gandzasar in Armenia, where he has been named in the starting lineup seven times in a row.

Two "home" games played away from home

The first leg, counting for the third matchday, will be played on November 12, 2026, at 7:00 PM GMT at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, even though Benin is the designated home team. The return leg, on November 16 at 4:00 PM GMT, will take place at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, where the Central African Republic will host. Both African teams are forced to relocate their home matches due to a lack of approved stadiums in their own countries.

In Group F, which also includes Burkina Faso and Mauritania, Benin currently sits in first place with 4 points, tied with the Burkinabè. The Cheetahs first drew 1-1 away against Burkina Faso on September 25, 2026, thanks to a Tosin Aiyegun penalty, before beating Mauritania 2-1 in Abidjan on September 29, courtesy of a brace from Rodolfo Aloko. The Central African Republic, for its part, lost 3-1 to Mauritania on the first matchday.