Morocco is gearing up to host a grand football celebration for the second time since 1988. Back then, the tournament featured just eight teams. This time, 24 nations will compete for the coveted title.
The opening ceremony promises to be a star-studded affair, with some of Africa’s football legends in attendance, including Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, Cameroon’s Patrick Mboma, Tunisia’s Aymen Mathlouthi, and Ivory Coast’s Gervinho.
CAF has announced a musical lineup featuring top artists like Morocco’s Hatim Ammor, Congolese sensation Maître Gims, and renowned Moroccan music producer RedOne.
As part of the preparations, CAF unveiled the official logo for the 2025 AFCON, which celebrates Morocco’s rich cultural heritage. The design incorporates zellige, the country’s traditional mosaic art, draped over the AFCON trophy.
The draw will divide the 24 qualified teams into six groups of four, based on FIFA rankings:
Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire
Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, and Burkina Faso
Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and Benin
Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Botswana
Each group’s top two teams, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.
Egypt remains the most successful nation in AFCON history, with seven titles. Côte d’Ivoire, the defending champions, have claimed the trophy three times. Cameroon has five titles, while Nigeria and Algeria have won three and two times, respectively.
Morocco, the host nation, last won the AFCON in 1976 in Ethiopia. That year’s tournament didn’t feature a knockout stage; instead, the top four teams from the first round competed in a final group stage, with the champions determined by the most points.
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