The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco will kick off on December 21, with the hosts taking on Comoros in the opening game in Rabat.
There will be six groups – each consisting of four teams. The AFCON was expanded from 16 teams to 24 in 2019 in order to allow more teams to qualify and has retained its format since. The top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16 along with the four best ranked third-placed teams.
The knockout rounds thereafter will be played over single legs, with ties decided via extra time and then penalties if they finish level.
Venues
The capital city’s Complex Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah will host the tournament final on January 18. While the same stadium will host the first and last game of the AFCON, it is only one of four in Rabat which will be utilised – the others being the Complexe Sportif Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan, the Stade El Barid, and the Stade Annexe Olympique Complex Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah.
Rabat is one of six host cities, but the other five each only have one stadium in use. Casablanca (Stade Mohamed V) will be well-known to African football fans due to iconic clubs Wydad and Raja.
The Grand Stade de Tanger is the biggest venue in use with a capacity of 75,000, while games will also be played at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, Complexe Sportif de FES and Grand Stade d’Agadir.
Rabat: Complex Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah, Complexe Sportif Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan, Stade El Barid, Stade Annexe Olympique Complex Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah
Tickets
Official ticket hub on CAF website – HERE
Groups and teams
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
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