AFCON 2025 Explained: Groups, Favourites, Venues and Key Dates

Africa’s premier international football tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations, is just around the corner, with the 2025 edition in Morocco set to take place from 21 December 2025 until 18 January 2026.

The 35^th edition of AFCON will feature 24 national teams battling it out across nine stadiums in six cities for the coveted crown, and with the likes of defending champions Ivory Coast, hosts Morocco and other challengers such as Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon and many more ready to make their mark, the tournament is sure to provide plenty of entertainment and drama.

As anticipation continues to build ahead of the competition, here is your complete guide to everything you need to know before the action kicks off:

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Format

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations follow the now-established 24-team structure that was first introduced in the 2019 edition of the tournament, with these teams divided into six groups of four.

Each team will play three group-stage fixtures, with the top two teams from each group automatically advancing to the round of 16, alongside the four best third-placed teams from across the six groups.

The competition then follows the standard format of a knockout competition, with teams battling it out in the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals before a winner is eventually decided in the final, which will take place on 18 January 2026.

Groups

Group A: Comoros, Mali, Morocco (hosts), Zambia

Group B: Angola, Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Group C: Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda

Group D: Benin, Botswana, DR Congo, Senegal

Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan

Group F: Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast (defending champions), Mozambique

Fixtures and Key Dates

Hosts Morocco will get the tournament underway on 21 December in Casablanca in a clash with Comoros, followed by a hectic schedule of matches until the group-stage eventually comes to an end on 31 December.

The knockout stage will then begin on 3 January, running up until the final in Casablanca on 18 January.

Venues

AFCON 2025 will be staged entirely across Morocco, with the tournament spread across multiple cities and world-class stadiums as the country continues its preparation for co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Matches will be played at a mix of newly upgraded and iconic venues, offering a blend of modern infrastructure and historic football atmosphere. From the Atlantic coast to the heart of the country, fans will get a true taste of Moroccan football culture throughout the tournament.

The stadiums hosting AFCON 2025 are:

• Grand Stade d’Agadir – Agadir
• Grand Stade de Marrakesh – Marrakesh
• Stade Mohammed V – Casablanca
• Complexe sportif de Fès – Fes
• Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah – Rabat
• Stade Olympique de Rabat – Rabat
• Complexe Sportif Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan – Rabat
• Stade Al Medina – Rabat
• Stade Ibn Battuta – Tangier

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Odds

Morocco have emerged as the clear favourites to win the entire competition, with Bet9ja offering odds of 3.55 for the host nation to lift the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on 18 January.

Egypt come in as the second favourites with odds of 6.50, followed by Algeria (7.00), Senegal (7.00), Nigeria (10.00), Tunisia (13.00) and Mali (13.00), while defending champions Ivory Coast have been given a slim chance of retaining their crown as they also have odds of 13.00 to win the competition.

Botswana are the least likely to win the competition according to Bet9ja’s odds, with the Zebras having odds of 401.00 to be crowned champions.

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