2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Last updated

2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Tournament details
Host countryMorocco
DatesJuly 2025
Teams24
Venue(s)6 (in 6 host cities)
2023
2027

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations , also referred to as AFCON 2025 or CAN 2025, is scheduled to be the 35th edition of the biennial African football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It will be hosted by Morocco for the second time and the first since 1988 in July and August 2025. [1] [2] [3] [4] Morocco was originally scheduled to host the 2015 edition, but withdrew due to fears stemming from the Western African Ebola virus epidemic. Due to FIFA expanding its Club World Cup competition to 32 teams and having it scheduled for June and July that year, this edition of the tournament will be played a month later than was originally scheduled.

Contents

This edition of the tournament is scheduled to be the second after 2019 to take place during the northern hemisphere's summer, in order to reduce scheduling conflicts with European club teams and competitions; [5] [6] [7] [8] the previous 2023 edition was moved to January and February 2024 owing to the adverse summer weather conditions in Ivory Coast. [9] [10]

Guinea was originally set as hosts for this edition of the tournament, but had its hosting rights stripped after affirming its inadequacy of hosting preparations. [11] [12] After a second bidding process, [13] Morocco was named as the new hosts on 27 September 2023. [14]

Ivory Coast are the defending champions.

Host selection

CAF stripped Cameroon from hosting the 2019 edition of the tournament on 30 November 2018 due lack of speed of progress in preparations, [15] but accepted former CAF president Ahmad Ahmad's request to stage the next edition in 2021. Consequently, the original hosts of 2021, Ivory Coast, became hosts of the 2023 edition with Guinea instead hosting the 2025 edition, which until then had no hosts. [16] The CAF President confirmed the timetable shift after a meeting with Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on 30 January 2019. [17]

On 30 September 2022, current CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced that Guinea had been stripped as host for the 2025 edition due to inadequacy and speed of progress in hosting preparations. [11] Consequently, a new process was re-opened for a replacement host bidder. [13] [18] On 27 September 2023, the 2025 edition was awarded to Morocco [14] and the 2027 edition to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. [19] [20]

Qualification

The detailed schedule has the following format according to Daily Post Nigeria: [21]

On 18 February 2024, CAF released the procedures for the preliminary round and its draw [22] [23] which was held at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt two days later, i.e. 20 February. [24]

Qualified teams

The following teams have qualified for this edition of the tournament.

TeamMethod of
qualification
Date of
qualification
Finals
appearance
Last
appearance
Previous best
performance
FIFA ranking
at start of event
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Hosts27 September 202320th 2023 Champions (1976)

Venues

On 27 September 2023, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation unveiled a list of six stadiums in six cities to host this edition of the tournament.

Casablanca Rabat Tangier Marrakesh
Mohammed V Stadium Moulay Abdellah Stadium Ibn Batouta Stadium Marrakesh Stadium
Capacity: 45,891Capacity: 50,000Capacity: 65,000Capacity: 45,240
Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca.jpg Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah.jpg Ibn Batouta Stadium of Tangier.jpg Stade de marrakech.jpg
Agadir
Adrar Stadium
Capacity: 45,480
Stade-Adrar2019.png
Fez
Fez Stadium
Capacity: 45,000
Stade de Fes.jpg

Group stage

The top two teams of each group, along with the best four third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16.

Tiebreakers

Teams will be ranked according to the three points for a win system (3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0/none points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 74): [25]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, if two teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are applied exclusively to these two teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Drawing of lots.

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco (H)00000000Advance to knockout stage
2A200000000
3A300000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4A400000000
First match(es) will be played: TBD. Source: CAF
(H) Hosts

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1B100000000Advance to knockout stage
2B200000000
3B300000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4B400000000
First match(es) will be played: TBD. Source: CAF

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1C100000000Advance to knockout stage
2C200000000
3C300000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4C400000000
First match(es) will be played: TBD. Source: CAF

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1D100000000Advance to knockout stage
2D200000000
3D300000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4D400000000
First match(es) will be played: TBD. Source: CAF

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1E100000000Advance to knockout stage
2E200000000
3E300000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4E400000000
First match(es) will be played: TBD. Source: CAF

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1F100000000Advance to knockout stage
2F200000000
3F300000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4F400000000
First match(es) will be played: TBD. Source: CAF

Ranking of third-placed teams

PosGrpTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 A A300000000Advance to knockout stage
2 B B300000000
3 C C300000000
4 D D300000000
5 E E300000000
6 F F300000000
First match(es) will be played: TBD. Source: CAF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.

Combinations of matches in the round of 16

The specific match-ups involving the third-placed teams depend on which four third-placed teams qualify for the round of 16:

  Possible combinations of third-placed teams
Third-placed teams
qualify from groups
1A
vs
1B
vs
1C
vs
1D
vs
ABCD3C3D3A3B
ABCE3C3A3B3E
ABCF3C3A3B3F
ABDE3D3A3B3E
ABDF3D3A3B3F
ABEF3E3A3B3F
ACDE3C3D3A3E
ACDF3C3D3A3F
ACEF3C3A3F3E
ADEF3D3A3F3E
BCDE3C3D3B3E
BCDF3C3D3B3F
BCEF3E3C3B3F
BDEF3E3D3B3F
CDEF3C3D3F3E

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
 
              
 
 
 
 
Runner-up Group A
 
 
 
Runner-up Group C
 
Winner R2
 
 
 
Winner R1
 
Winner Group D
 
 
 
3rd Group B/E/F
 
Winner QF1
 
 
 
Winner QF4
 
Winner Group B
 
 
 
3rd Group A/C/D
 
Winner R5
 
 
 
Winner R8
 
Winner Group F
 
 
 
Runner-up Group E
 
Winner SF1
 
 
 
Winner SF2
 
Runner-up Group B
 
 
 
Runner-up Group F
 
Winner R7
 
 
 
Winner R6
 
Winner Group A
 
 
 
3rd Group C/D/E
 
Winner QF3
 
 
 
Winner QF2 Third place play-off
 
Winner Group E
 
  
 
Runner-up Group D
 
Winner R4Loser SF1
 
 
 
Winner R3Loser SF2
 
Winner Group C
 
 
3rd Group A/B/F
 

Round of 16

Winner Group DR13rd Group B/E/F

Runner-up Group AR2Runner-up Group C

Winner Group AR33rd Group C/D/E

Runner-up Group BR4Runner-up Group F

Winner Group BR53rd Group A/C/D

Winner Group CR63rd Group A/B/F

Winner Group ER7Runner-up Group D

Winner Group FR8Runner-up Group E

Quarter-finals

Winner R2QF1Winner R1

Winner R4QF2Winner R3

Winner R7QF3Winner R6

Winner R5QF4Winner R8

Semi-finals

Winner QF1SF1Winner QF4

Winner QF3SF2Winner QF2

Third place play-off

Loser SF1vLoser SF2

Final

Winner SF1vWinner SF2

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