After almost three years at the head of the Éperviers, Paulo Duarte is leaving his post. The Togolese Football Federation (FTF) confirmed, Friday June 21, the resignation of the technician which occurred on Thursday, while the Togo team is off to a poor start in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
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End clap for Duarte and Togo. Appointed coach in May 2021, the one who took office in August of the same year is leaving. The news was made official via a press release from the FTF on June 21. The Portuguese terminated his contract on Thursday June 20: “ The executive committee regrets this decision, but takes note of it and wishes to express its gratitude to him for his work, his commitment and his professionalism during the years of collaboration. The FTF wishes him much success in his future projects. »
With Paulo Duarte, the Sparrowhawks failed to qualify for the last two major football events. During the African qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, in the second round, they only finished in second place in Group H with 8 points, far behind Senegal (16 points). And during the playoffs of the African Cup of Nations 2024the Togolese also failed, paying for a very complicated start to the campaign: they finished in third place in group B (8 points) behind Burkina Faso (11 points, qualified) and Cape Verde (10 points, qualified) .
Only 6 matches won in 23 matches
The playoff campaign of the 2026 World Cup got off to a bad start again for Togo. In group B, the Togolese selection languishes in fourth place out of six after three draws (1-1 against Sudan and 0-0 against Senegal in November 2023, and 1-1 against South Sudan on June 5, 2024 ) and a defeat (1-0 against the DRC on June 9, 2024) in four days. Togo only has 3 points on the clock, away from Sudan (10 points) and Senegal (8 points).
Paulo Duarte leaves with a record of 7 wins, 10 draws and 6 defeats in 23 matches at the helm of Togo. The FTF says it is working “ in consultation with the recruitment of a new coach of the Éperviers “.
To consult2026 World Cup: schedule and results of qualifiers in Africa