AFCON 2025 guide: When is it? How can I watch? Who has qualified? Everything you need to know

The Africa Cup of Nations is the top national team tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), usually held every two years in odd-numbered years.

AFCON 2025, hosted by Morocco, will be the competition’s 35th edition, 68 years after the first in 1957, taking place less than two years after the Ivory Coast claimed the title on home soil by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final.

The upcoming edition will be the third to feature 24 teams, following its expansion from 16 nations ahead of the 2019 tournament.

Here, Sports Mole guides you through everything you need to know about the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, including start and end dates, host cities and stadiums, tournament format, how to watch and the leading favourites.

When and where is the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations taking place?

Morocco were officially awarded the hosting rights on September 27, 2023 and will welcome 23 African nations for the competition.

The continental showpiece is scheduled to run for four weeks, from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

Originally slated to be held in Guinea, the West African nation lost its hosting rights due to concerns about infrastructure readiness, prompting the change.

AFCON 2025 scheduling controversy

While the Cup of Nations has not been held between June and July since the 2019 edition in Egypt, AFCON 2025’s schedule change was for a specific reason.

Due to the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup, a modification to Africa’s continental tournament was necessary, leading to its shift to December.

Although previously held from January to February, this year’s edition will be the first to take place during the Christmas and New Year period.

There has been some criticism, as several Premier League clubs are affected by the new schedule, and some European clubs might have players missing the seventh Champions League matchday on January 20 and 21, depending on the nations competing in the third-place and final matches.

AFCON 2025: Who has qualified?

Twenty-four nations will compete at AFCON 2025, split into six groups comprising four teams.

Group A

Morocco (hosts)
Mali
Zambia
Comoros

Group B

Egypt
South Africa
Angola
Zimbabwe

Group C

Nigeria
Tunisia
Uganda
Tanzania

Group D

Senegal
DR Congo
Benin
Botswana

Group E

Algeria
Burkina Faso
Equatorial
Guinea
Sudan

Group F

Ivory Coast (Defending champions)
Cameroon
Gabon
Mozambique

AFCON 2025: Tournament format

The 24 teams are divided into six groups of four, with each team playing a round-robin against the other three in their group.

The top two teams from each group automatically advance to the knockout stages, while the third-placed teams compete for the remaining four spots.

Of the six third-placed teams, the four with the best records will advance to the round of 16. The tournament then continues as a knockout until the AFCON 2025 final on January 18, 2026.

AFCON 2025 host cities and stadiums

Matches at the Cup of Nations in Morocco will be held across nine venues located within six major urban centres. The designated host cities include Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Rabat and Tangier.

Ibn Batouta Stadium | 75,000 | Tangier

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium | 68,700 | Rabat

Moulay Hassan Stadium | 22,000 | Rabat

Rabat Olympic Stadium | 21,000 | Rabat

Al Barid Stadium | 18,000 | Rabat

Adrar Stadium | 45,000 | Agadir

Stade Mohamed V | 45,000 | Casablanca

Fez Stadium | 45,000 | Fez

Marrakesh Stadium | 45,000 | Marrakesh

AFCON 2025: Key dates

Group Stage: December 21-31

Round of 16: January 3-6

Quarter-finals: January 9-10

Semi-finals: January 14

Third-place playoff: January 17

Final: January 18

Who are the favourites to win AFCON 2025?

Morocco are the clear favourites to win AFCON 2025 at home, although it remains uncertain how Walid Regragui's team will perform with the physically compromised Achraf Hakimi.

The Paris Saint-Germain full-back sustained an ankle injury in a Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich in November, possibly keeping him out for six to eight weeks.

While the Atlas Lions have not won AFCON since their 1976 success and only finished fourth as hosts in 1988, their standing as Africa's most consistent side means they are tagged favourites to shed the underachievers tag that has previously followed them.

Also in with a chance are seven-time winners Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, Algeria and Senegal, led by Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly at both ends.

With an outside chance are three-time champions Nigeria, runners-up at AFCON 2023, boasting attacking firepower with Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, while defending champions Ivory Coast cannot be overlooked.

Despite Cameroon's history in this competition, the Indomitable Lions have underachieved of late at the continental showpiece, leading to the five-time champions being given little or no chance according to pre-tournament predictions.

It does not help that they are in the perceived ‘Group of Death’ comprising Ivory Coast, Gabon and Mozambique, which could throw up surprises at the continental showpiece.

Furthermore, the fact that no nation has won the finals on North African soil since Nigeria triumphed in Tunisia in 1994 adds to the feeling that the same trend could continue: Tunisia won on home soil in 2004, as did Egypt two years later and Algeria triumphed in Cairo in 2019.