Africa Cup of Nations 2025: What to know about the tournament

African football’s finest teams and brightest stars volition instrumentality centre signifier successful Morocco erstwhile the continent’s premier showpiece, the Africa Cup of Nations, kicks disconnected connected Sunday.

Ivory Coast volition look to support the rubric they won successful 2023, portion Morocco, Egypt and Senegal are besides among the pretournament favourites.

With high-profile players specified arsenic Mohamed Salah, Achraf Hakimi and Victor Osimhen acceptable to feature, the 2025 variation is expected to present top-tier shot and storylines that widen good beyond the pitch.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir the upcoming AFCON:

What are the cardinal dates and wherever volition the AFCON last beryllium played?

The CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 volition statesman connected Sunday, arsenic big federation Morocco play Comoros successful the opening game.

The last volition beryllium played connected January 18 astatine the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium successful Rabat, marking the decision of the 52-match tournament.

• Group stage: December 21 to 31
• Round of 16: January 3 to 6
• Quarterfinals: January 9 and 10
• Semifinals: January 14
• Third-place playoff: January 17
• Final: January 18

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium successful Rabat is the venue for the AFCON 2025 last connected January 18 [Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP]

Why is AFCON 2025 starting successful December?

The tourney successful Morocco was owed to beryllium played successful June, but that clashed with the expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, which was held successful the United States astatine the time.

It marks the archetypal clip AFCON volition instrumentality spot implicit the Christmas and New Year period.

Where is the tourney being held?

Morocco is hosting the 35th variation of AFCON crossed 9 venues successful six cities – the astir ever for an AFCON.

Guinea was initially owed to big this edition, but the West African country, which is among the poorest connected the continent, was stripped of hosting rights owed to concerns astir its readiness.

The 2025 variation marks the 2nd clip Morocco has hosted the African championships, having archetypal done truthful successful 1988.

Here’s a database of the venues and cities:

⚽ Agadir: Adrar Stadium (capacity: 45,480)
⚽ Casablanca: Stade Mohammed V (capacity: 67,000)
⚽ Fez: Fez Stadium (capacity: 45,000)
⚽ Marrakesh: Marrakesh Stadium (capacity: 45,240)
⚽ Rabat: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (capacity: 69,500)
⚽ Rabat: Moulay Hassan Stadium (capacity: 22,000)
⚽ Rabat: Rabat Olympic Stadium (capacity: 21,000)
⚽ Rabat: Al Barid Stadium (capacity: 18,000)
⚽ Tangier: Ibn Batouta Stadium (capacity: 75,600)

Morocco’s ‘ultras’ are known for spectacular pyrotechnic displays during matches. Pictured present is simply a infinitesimal from the 2023 CAF Champions League last betwixt Egyptian broadside Al Ahly and Wydad AC astatine the Mohammed V stadium successful Casablanca [File: Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP]

How galore teams are taking part?

Twenty-four teams from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) volition play successful the tournament.

Defending champions Ivory Coast, grounds seven-time winners Egypt, giants Morocco and Nigeria are among the participants.

The nations person been divided into six groups:

⚽ Group A: Morocco, 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, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

What is the tourney format?

The teams volition play successful a round-robin format, with the apical 2 from each group, on with the champion 4 third-placed teams, advancing to the knockout stage, which begins with the circular of 16.

That is followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final. There is besides a third-place playoff betwixt the 2 losing semifinalists.

In the knockout stages, if a lucifer is level astatine the extremity of mean playing time, it volition spell to 30 minutes of other clip and, if required, penalties.

A afloat AFCON 2025 lucifer docket is disposable here.

Morocco players bow their heads to accidental a supplication and observe a extremity during the Paris Olympic Games 2024. The squad ended the tourney with a bronze medal [File: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters] (Reuters)

When were the players released for AFCON?

FIFA announced successful aboriginal December that clubs would lone beryllium obliged to merchandise players from December 15 – a week aboriginal than the modular planetary window. The determination near AFCON teams little than a week to hole erstwhile each players were available, posing a logistical situation for coaches and organisers.

FIFA said the shortened merchandise period, the aforesaid attack utilized for the 2022 World Cup successful Qatar, was agreed aft consultations with CAF and different stakeholders to “reduce the interaction connected assorted parties”, without elaborating.

Mali manager Tom Saintfiet said it showed a deficiency of respect for African shot and that European clubs were fixed a higher precedence by FIFA. “Everyone successful Europe thinks African shot is not important,” helium added. “It shows a deficiency of respect, and I’m angry.”

The precocious notification was besides criticised by the coaches, fixed that the dates for the AFCON finals were announced successful June past year, giving FIFA ample clip to marque its ruling.

Who are the erstwhile AFCON champions?

Egypt are the astir palmy African federation with 7 AFCON titles. However, the Pharaohs haven’t won the rubric since 2010.

Cameroon are the second-most palmy squad with 5 titles, followed by Ghana with four, though they volition beryllium absent from this year’s variation aft failing to qualify.

Nigeria and the Ivory Coast person won 3 each, with the second beating the erstwhile successful the past edition’s final.

As galore arsenic 15 countries person won the title since the tourney started successful 1957.

Mohamed Salah’s (#10) Egypt are the astir palmy CAF squad with 7 AFCON titles. Though they haven’t been crowned champions successful 15 years, the squad finished runners-up successful 2017 and 2021 [File: Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP]

Why is the AFCON important?

The Africa Cup of Nations brings unneurotic immoderate of the strongest teams connected the continent, including respective susceptible of making heavy runs connected the planetary signifier astatine events similar the FIFA World Cup.

Seven teams featuring astatine AFCON 2025 – Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia – person besides qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which volition beryllium co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“AFCON is peculiar due to the fact that it reflects the affluent cultures of our continent. Every variation has its ain individuality – from the fans to the bushed of the matches,” ex-Zambia Christopher Katongo, who led them to the rubric successful 2012, told CAFOnline.

“It’s not conscionable astir football; it’s astir pride, history, and representing your people. The level of contention keeps increasing due to the fact that African shot is perpetually improving, and that makes each tourney a caller challenge.

“AFCON has go a planetary showcase for African talent,” helium added.

For big federation Morocco, this tourney doubles up arsenic an accidental to place areas for betterment and a timely warm-up earlier the 2030 World Cup, which they volition co-host with Spain and Portugal.

Who are the favourites to triumph AFCON 2025?

Host federation Morocco and defending champions Ivory Coast are among the frontrunners for the title.

Morocco, Africa’s highest-ranked federation astatine 11th successful the world, are successful large form, having extended their record-breaking tally of successive victories to 18 past month.

The North Africans, whose squad is wide regarded arsenic a aureate procreation and was the astonishment bundle astatine the 2022 Qatar World Cup with a semifinal achievement, volition besides bask the vantage of playing successful beforehand of location crowds arsenic they purpose for their archetypal rubric successful 50 years.

After stunning Nigeria successful the 2023 last connected location soil, rubric holders Ivory Coast participate the tourney this twelvemonth successful precocious spirits. The Elephants sealed their summons to the 2026 World Cup successful singular fashion, finishing apical of their radical successful the qualifying stage, without conceding a extremity successful their 10 games.

Egypt, spearheaded by Liverpool fable Mohamed Salah, could besides beryllium 1 to watch. Senegal, Tunisia and Algeria are among the different fancied teams.

What is the prize wealth for AFCON?

The prize wealth remains the aforesaid arsenic the past edition, with the victor receiving $7m, portion the runner-up takes location $4m.

The full prize cookware for the tourney is $32m.

Where to bargain tickets and ticker the tournament?

Tickets went unrecorded connected CAF’s authoritative platform successful mid-October, with the federation saying 298,000 tickets were sold during the archetypal 2 phases, with buyers successful 106 nations worldwide. A 3rd signifier was announced successful mid-November.

Tickets for the final, starting from astir $43, were sold retired successful the 3rd phase. Overall, the cheapest summons disposable for a crippled is priced astatine a small implicit $10.

Regional broadcasters, including Channel 4, beIN Sport, SuperSport and Canal+, volition telecast the tournament.

Al Jazeera Sport volition supply live substance updates and game-time commentary of prime matches astatine AFCON 2025, including the semifinals and final.