Angola is an African country located in the southwestern part of the continent, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north and east, and Zambia to the east. It is the seventh largest country in Africa and its economy is one of the fastest growing in all of Africa.
The first people to settle the area known as Angola were the San people, an indigenous hunter-gatherer group. The Bantu people migrated from the north beginning in the 6th century A.D. The first political group was the Kingdom of Kongo in the 13th century. In the 15th century the Portuguese arrived, bringing with them weapons and Christianity in return for slaves, ivory, and minerals. As a result, the Portuguese colony of Angola was established in 1575. The King of the Kongo converted to Christianity and the colony adopted a European political structure. In 1580, Portugal's king, Henry I, died without naming a successor, allowing Spain to claim Portugal by force. Philip I, also known as Philip II in Spain, became the ruler of Portugal and the Portuguese overseas' territories became of second-level interest to the Spanish, who neglected them. The Dutch took advantage of this, occupying the colony's capital in 1641, but leaving the remainder of the colony largely intact. Most of the trading that took place at this time was with the Portuguese colony of Brazil in South America, mostly by sending slaves from Angola across the Atlantic. This slave trade was abolished in 1836 and by 1844 Angola's ports were opened to foreign shipping. Angola remained a Portuguese colony until 1951 when it was granted province status, giving it more autonomy. It finally gained its independence on November 11, 1975 after a coup d'état occurred in 1974 in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The new leaders in Portugal immediately began a process of granting independence of its former colonies, including Angola.
The newly-independent Angola was led by a military government that was installed immediately after gaining independence. This led to a civil war, drawing interest from nations all throughout the world, including Cuba. It took until 1994 for the fighting to cease when a peace accord was struck and a national unity government was implemented in 1997. The infighting didn't completely stop until 2002 and it has taken the years since to rebuild the nation after decades of civil war. The Angolan government has had to spend nearly $200 million resettling the four million citizens that were displaced by the civil war. They also had to work and destroy the roughly fifteen million landmines that had been laid during the fighting, receiving help from charity organizations to aid in the process. Lastly, they have had to overcome thousands of accounts of human rights violations, including the exploitation of children, meaning a new mentality has had to be established by its citizens.
Through it all, Angola has remained a fast growing nation with a culture that has been influenced by many different cultures, creating a swirling of ideas and practices. As a result, many of the country's practices are rooted in other cultures, and this is especially true for the sports played in Angola.
Angola's most popular sport is football(soccer) as is most common in African nations, due to how cheap of a sport it is to play. Angola is also known for being a successful basketball nation, the result of Portuguese influence. Handball and roller hockey are also popular sports among Angolans and the traditional martial art of capoeira is still a popular game.
Football
- Football was first brought to Angola by the Portuguese when it was a colony of Portugal and by the Cubans following independence.
- The Angolan national team played its first match against the People's Republic of the Congo (PR Congo) on February 8, 1976
International Competitions
- Men's Team
- Africa Cup of Nations
- Angola first qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, finishing last in their group, losing two matches and playing to a tie in their third match
- They earned their first Africa Cup of Nations win in 2006 against Togo
- The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations yielded Angola its best finish, drawing twice with South Africa and beating Senegal in group play before losing to Egypt in the quarter finals
- Angola hosted the tournament in 2010, advancing to the quarter finals where they lost 1-0 to Ghana
- They lost in the first round in both 2012 and 2013 and failed to qualify for the tournament in 2015
- FIFA World Cup
- They qualified for their first World Cup in 2006 after only losing one match in the qualifying
- In their opening match, they lost to Portugal, then drew against both Mexico and Iran, and ultimately failed to advance to the second round
- Since 2006, Angola has failed to qualify for the 2010, 2014, or the upcoming 2018 World Cups
- They are currently ranked 144th by FIFA
- Women's Team
- The Angolan Women's National Team played their first match on January 7, 1995 against South Africa, losing 3-1
- Africa Women's Championship
- In 1995, they were supposed to face Cameroon in the opening round but Cameroon was forced to withdraw, allowing Angola to advance. In the second round, they faced South Africa on the road in the match referenced above and then tied South Africa 3-3 at home, ultimately losing 6-4 in aggregate scoring and finishing as a semi-finalist
- In 2002, Angola lost in group play
- These have been the only two occurrences when Angola has qualified for the African Women's Championship
- Currently unranked by FIFA
Domestic Competitions
- Girabola - top division of Angolan football
- League winner and runner-up qualify for the CAF Champions League
- Started in 1979 and currently consists of 16 clubs
- There is relegation to Gira Angola
- Domestic Cups - Taca de Angola (Angolan Cup) and SuperTaca de Angola (Angolan SuperCup)
- Most championships - Petro Atletico - 15 titles
- Most recent champion - Recreativo do Libol - 4th title
- Gira Angola - second division
- Consists of 18 clubs across two levels
- Started play in 1995
- Relegation to the Angola Provincial Stage
- Domestic Cups - Taca de Angola and SuperTaca de Angola
- Most championships - Sporting de Cabinda - 2 titles
- Most recent champion - Santa Rita - 1st title
- Taca De Angola (Angolan Cup)
- Started in 1982
- Main knockout competition in Angola
- Occurs between the Girabola and Gira Angola leagues
- Most successful club - Petro de Luana - 10 titles
- Most recent champion - Bravos do Maquis - 1st title
- SuperTaca de Angola (Angolan SuperCup)
- Started in 1982
- Played between the winner of the Girabola and the Angolan Cup winner, unless it is the same team, in which case the league champion and the Cup runner-up play
- Marks the start of the football season
- Most successful club - Primeiro de Agosto - 8 titles
- Most recent champion - Recreativo do Libol - 2nd title
Basketball
- Basketball was brought to Angola by the Portuguese
International Competitions
- Men's Team
- Played its first game on February 1, 1976 against Nigeria, losing 71-62
- Olympic Games
- First qualified for the 1992 Games in Barcelona
- Has qualified for five of the ten Olympics that they could have qualified for
- Highest finish was 9th at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
- FIBA Africa Championship
- First entered the tournament in 1980
- Has qualified for all 19 tournaments it could have qualified for
- Has appeared in the final round in 17 of the 19 tournaments
- Has won 11 titles, finished second 4 times, and third 2 times
- Current FIBA Ranking - 23rd
- Women's Team
- First appeared in the FIBA Africa Championship for Women in 2007, going 4-1 in the first round before losing to Mali, the eventual champion; qualified for the qualifying round for the 2008 Summer Olympics by beating Mozambique in the third place game
- The team won its first African title at the 2011 Africa Championship for Women where it finished with a 7-1 record, qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Olympic Games
- At the 2008 games in Beijing, Angola lost in the knockout stage of the qualifying round
- In 2012, they finished 16th after going 0-5 in group play
- FIBA World Cup
- 2014 - finished 16th, going 0-3
- African Games
- Has qualified for five of the eight tournaments it has been able to qualify for
- First qualified for the 1987 tournament
- Finished 2nd two times and 3rd twice
- AfroBasket
- Has qualified for all 16 tournaments it has been able to, beginning in 1981
- Has won two titles - 2011 and 2013
- Has finished 3rd five times
- Current FIBA Ranking - 18th
Domestic Competitions
- BIC Basket - main Angolan men's basketball league
- Founded in 1977
- Comprised of 10 clubs
- Most successful, and most recent champion - Primeiro de Agosto - 18 titles
- Angolan Women's Basketball League
- Founded in 1977
- Currently there are 6 teams
- Most successful, and recent champion - Primeiro de Agosto - 12 titles
- Taca de Angola (Basketball)
- Started in 185
- All clubs are eligible to participle
- Knockout style tournament
- Male and female tournaments
- Most successful clubs: Primeiro de Agosto (both men and women) - 13 and 12 titles, respectively
- Most recent champions: Recreativo de Libolo (men) and Interclube (women)
- SuperTaca de Angola (Basketball)
- Started in 1993
- Single-match competition
- Played between the winner of the leagues and the winner of the Angolan Cup (Taca de Angola) - same rules apply as with the football tournament
- Most successful clubs: Primeiro de Agosto (men) - 12 titles; Interclube (women) - 8 titles
- Most recent champions: Recreativo do Libolo (men) and Interclube (women)
Handball
International Competitions
- Men's Team
- First competed at the African Championship in 1981, finishing in 5th place
- Has competed in all but five tournaments since; they are held every-other year
- High finish has been third place on two occasions
- World Championship
- First competed in 2005
- Finished 20th in 2005 and 21st in 2007
- Has qualified for the 2017 tournament
- Women's Team
- Became a member of the African Handball Confederation in 1980
- African Championship
- Has qualified for all 18 tournaments it has been in existence for
- Has won the tournament 11 times
- First competed at the 1981 tournament
- World Championship
- First qualified in 1990
- Has only made it through the preliminary round twice
- Highest finish was 7th in 2007
- Is qualified for the 2017 tournament
- Olympic Games
- Has qualified for the Summer Olympics every time since 1996 in Atlanta, when in finished 7th
- Reached the quarter finals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio
Roller Hockey
- Roller hockey has been popular in Angola for a couple of decades now
- They currently compete in the second tier of the FIRS Roller Hockey Championship
- Has won one medal, a silver, in 1994
Capoeira
- Traditional Brazilian martial art that was taken to South America by slaves from Africa and has remained popular in Angola
- Combines dance, acrobatics, and music
- The goal is to keep the sport as close to its roots as possible
- Strategy is vital and the use of sneaking movements while close to the floor or ground are often utilized
- Emphasizes the use of the lower body to kick and take down the opponent, all while maintaining rhythm
- The goal is create an uninterrupted flow in order to strike, dodge, and move
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