The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations took place across December 2025 and January 2026 in Morocco.
Ivory Coast entered the tournament as defending champions after winning the 2023 final last February against Nigeria.
The draw for the group stage was held in Rabat, the host city of the final, on January 27. The 24 teams were placed into six groups of four, from which the top two — plus the best three teams that finish third in their pools — will progress to the knockout phase.
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Teams qualified for AFCON 2025
A total of 24 nations qualified for the AFCON finals. The teams were split into four pots for the draw, with one team from each pot placed into each of the groups.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Morocco (hosts) | Cameroon | Gabon | Mozambique |
| Senegal | Mali | Angola | Comoros |
| Egypt | Tunisia | Zambia | Tanzania |
| Algeria | South Africa | Uganda | Sudan |
| Nigeria | DR Congo | Equatorial Guinea | Zimbabwe |
| Ivory Coast (holders) | Burkina Faso | Benin | Botswana |
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When is the AFCON 2025 final?
The final takes place in Rabat, Morocco on January 18, 2026.
AFCON 2025 knockout bracket, schedule
The top two teams from each group, plus the three best third-place nations, comprise the 16 sides that enter the knockout stage.
Round of 16
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Jan. 3, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Senegal (1D) 3-1 Sudan (3E) | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier |
| Jan. 3, 2026 | 8 p.m. | Mali (2A) 1-1 Tunisia (2C)
Mali won 3-2 on pens | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
| Jan. 4, 2026 | 4 p.m. | Morocco (1A) 1-0 Tanzania (3C) | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat |
| Jan. 4, 2026 | 8 p.m. | South Africa (2B) 1-2 Cameroon (2F) | Al Barid Stadium, Rabat |
| Jan. 5, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Egypt (1B) 3-1 Benin (3D)
a.e.t. | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
| Jan. 5, 2026 | 8 p.m. | Nigeria (1C) 4-0 Mozambique (3F) | Fez Stadium, Fez |
| Jan. 6, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Algeria (1E) 1-0 DR Congo (2D)
a.e.t. | Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat |
| Jan. 6, 2026 | 8 p.m. | Ivory Coast (1F) 3-0 Burkina Faso (2E) | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Jan. 9, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Mali 0-1 Senegal | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier |
| Jan. 9, 2026 | 8 p.m. | Cameroon 0-2 Morocco | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat |
| Jan. 10, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Algeria 0-2 Nigeria | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
| Jan. 10, 2026 | 8 p.m. | Egypt 3-2 Ivory Coast | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
Semifinals
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Jan. 14, 2026 | 6 p.m. | Senegal 1-0 Egypt | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier |
| Jan. 14, 2026 | 9 p.m. | Nigeria 0-0 Morocco
Morocco won 4-2 on pens | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat |
Third-place playoff
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Jan. 17, 2026 | 5 p.m. | Egypt 0-0 Nigeria
Nigeria won 4-2 on pens | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
Final
AFCON 2025 group stage draw, schedule, standings
The top two teams from each group, plus the three best third-place nations, qualified for the Round of 16.
As host nation, Morocco were automatically placed into Group A and played in the tournament's first game on December 21.
Group A
| | Team | Matches | W-D-L | GD | Pts. |
| 1. | Morocco (hosts) | 3 | 2-1-0 | +5 | 7 |
| 2. | Mali | 3 | 0-3-0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3. | Comoros | 3 | 0-2-1 | -2 | 2 |
| 4. | Zambia | 3 | 0-2-1 | -3 | 2 |
Group A match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Dec. 21, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Morocco 2-0 Comoros | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 22, 2025 | 3 p.m. | Mali 1-1 Zambia | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
| Dec. 26, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | Zambia 0-0 Comoros | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
| Dec. 26, 2025 | 9 p.m. | Morocco 1-1 Mali | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 29, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Zambia 0-3 Morocco | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 29, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Comoros 0-0 Mali | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
Group B
| | Team | Matches | W-D-L | GD | Pts. |
| 1. | Egypt | 3 | 2-1-0 | +2 | 7 |
| 2. | South Africa | 3 | 2-0-1 | +1 | 6 |
| 3. | Angola | 3 | 0-2-1 | -2 | 2 |
| 4. | Zimbabwe | 3 | 0-1-2 | -2 | 1 |
Group B match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Dec. 22, 2025 | 6 p.m. | South Africa 2-1 Angola | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
| Dec. 22, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Egypt 2-1 Zimbabwe | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
| Dec. 26, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. | Angola 1-1 Zimbabwe | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
| Dec. 26, 2025 | 4 p.m. | Egypt 1-0 South Africa | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
| Dec. 29, 2025 | 5 p.m. | Angola 0-0 Egypt | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
| Dec. 29, 2025 | 5 p.m. | Zimbabwe 2-3 South Africa | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
Group C
| | Team | Matches | W-D-L | GD | Pts. |
| 1. | Nigeria | 3 | 3-0-0 | +4 | 9 |
| 2. | Tunisia | 3 | 1-1-1 | +1 | 4 |
| 3. | Tanzania | 3 | 0-2-1 | -1 | 2 |
| 4. | Uganda | 3 | 0-1-2 | -5 | 1 |
Group C match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Dec. 23, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | Nigeria 2-1 Tanzania | Fez Stadium, Fez |
| Dec. 23, 2025 | 9 p.m. | Tunisia 3-0 Uganda | Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex St., Rabat |
| Dec. 27, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | Uganda 1-1 Tanzania | Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex St., Rabat |
| Dec. 27, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Nigeria 3-2 Tunisia | Fez Stadium, Fez |
| Dec. 30, 2025 | 5 p.m. | Uganda 1-3 Nigeria | Fez Stadium, Fez |
| Dec. 30, 2025 | 5 p.m. | Tanzania 1-1 Tunisia | Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex St., Rabat |
Group D
| | Team | Matches | W-D-L | GD | Pts. |
| 1. | Senegal | 3 | 2-1-0 | +6 | 7 |
| 2. | DR Congo | 3 | 2-1-0 | +4 | 7 |
| 3. | Benin | 3 | 1-0-2 | -3 | 3 |
| 4. | Botswana | 3 | 0-0-3 | -7 | 0 |
Group D match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Dec. 23, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. | DR Congo 1-0 Benin | Al Barid Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 23, 2025 | 4 p.m. | Senegal 3-0 Botswana | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier |
| Dec. 27, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. | Benin 1-0 Botswana | Al Barid Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 27, 2025 | 4 p.m. | Senegal 1-1 DR Congo | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier |
| Dec. 30, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Benin 0-3. Senegal | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier |
| Dec. 30, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Botswana 0-3 DR Congo | Al Barid Stadium, Rabat |
Group E
| | Team | Matches | W-D-L | GD | Pts. |
| 1. | Algeria | 3 | 3-0-0 | +6 | 9 |
| 2. | Burkina Faso | 3 | 2-0-1 | +2 | 6 |
| 3. | Sudan | 3 | 1-0-2 | -4 | 3 |
| 4. | Equatorial Guinea | 3 | 0-0-3 | -4 | 0 |
Group E match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Dec. 24, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. | Burkina Faso 1-2 Equatorial Guinea | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
| Dec. 24, 2025 | 4 p.m. | Algeria 3-0 Sudan | Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 28, 2025 | 4 p.m. | Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Sudan | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
| Dec. 28, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | Algeria 1-0 Burkina Faso | Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 31, 2025 | 5 p.m. | Equatorial Guinea 1-3 Algeria | Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat |
| Dec. 31, 2025 | 5 p.m. | Sudan 0-2 Burkina Faso | Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca |
Group F
| | Team | Matches | W-D-L | GD | Pts. |
| 1. | Ivory Coast | 3 | 2-1-0 | +2 | 7 |
| 2. | Cameroon | 3 | 2-1-0 | +2 | 7 |
| 3. | Mozambique | 3 | 1-0-2 | -1 | 3 |
| 4. | Gabon | 3 | 0-0-3 | -3 | 0 |
* Ivory Coast won the group on the goals scored tiebreaker above Cameroon
Group F match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match | Venue |
| Dec. 24, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | Ivory Coast 1-0 Mozambique | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
| Dec. 24, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Cameroon 1-0 Gabon | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
| Dec. 28, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. | Gabon 2-3 Mozambique | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
| Dec. 28, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Ivory Coast 1-1 Cameroon | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
| Dec. 31, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Gabon 2-3 Ivory Coast | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh |
| Dec. 31, 2025 | 8 p.m. | Mozambique 1-2 Cameroon | Adrar Stadium, Agadir |
Ranking of third place finishers
The top four third-place finishers advanced to the knockout stage, while the bottom two will be eliminated.
| Pos | Team | Group | W-D-L | GF-GA | GD | Pts. |
| 1. | Mozambique | F | 1-0-2 | 4-5 | -1 | 3 |
| 2. | Benin | D | 1-0-2 | 1-4 | -3 | 3 |
| 3. | Sudan | E | 1-0-2 | 1-5 | -4 | 3 |
| 4. | Tanzania | C | 0-2-1 | 3-4 | -1 | 2 |
| 5. | Angola | B | 0-2-1 | 2-3 | -1 | 2 |
| 6. | Comoros | A | 0-2-1 | 0-2 | -2 | 2 |
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