The draw ceremony for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will take place Monday evening at the Mohamed V National Theater in Rabat, marking the start of preparations for the tournament, which will run from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The competition will be held in six Moroccan cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Agadir, Fez, and Tangier.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe will attend the event, joined by national federation leaders, team representatives, and international media. Football legends, including Egypt’s Essam El-Hadary, Cameroon’s Patrick Mboma, and Tunisia’s Aymen Mathlouthi, will also participate in the draw.
This marks Morocco’s first time hosting the tournament since 1988 and comes five years ahead of co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
The 24 qualified teams will be drawn into six groups, with the top two from each group and the four best third-placed teams advancing to the knockout stage.
Qualified Teams and Historical Performances
Morocco enters the tournament as the host nation and a dominant force in the qualifiers, having won all six matches in Group B, scoring 26 goals and conceding only two. Other top performers include Algeria and Senegal, each collecting 16 points during the qualifiers.
The list of qualified teams includes:
- Group A: Comoros, Tunisia
- Group B: Morocco, Gabon
- Group C: Egypt, Botswana
- Group D: Benin, Nigeria
- Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea
- Group F: Angola, Sudan
- Group G: Zambia, Ivory Coast
- Group H: DR Congo, Tanzania
- Group I: Mali, Mozambique
- Group J: Cameroon, Zimbabwe
- Group K: South Africa, Uganda
- Group L: Senegal, Burkina Faso
Title Contenders
Twelve of the 24 teams have previously won the AFCON, combining for a total of 28 titles. Egypt leads with seven championships, followed by Cameroon with five and Nigeria and Ivory Coast with three each. Other winners include Algeria, DR Congo, and five nations with a single title: Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Zambia.
The AFCON 2025 promises to deliver high-stakes competition and showcase Africa’s footballing talent.
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