FULL BREAKDOWN: ALL 52 AFCON FIXTURES, KNOCKOUT PATH, AND KEY GROUP BATTLES
The 2025 AFCON in Morocco promises drama! Get the full schedule, group breakdown, and see how the massive $32 million prize money will be distributed across the 24 teams.
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is coming to Morocco for the first time since 1988! The tournament, featuring 24 teams, will bring some excitement during the cooler months in North Africa.
Since 2019, the tournament has expanded. A lot of the top teams from the continent will be there, but Ghana won’t be, since they didn't make it through qualifications.
The Ivory Coast will try to keep its title after winning at home two years ago. You can always count on this tournament to have great stories and drama.
Here's a quick look at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations:
Start: Sunday, December 21, 2025
Final: Sunday, January 18, 2026
Where: Morocco—nine stadiums in six cities
Watch it on beIN Sport, SuperSport, Canal+, and others (TBD). (TBD).
Prizes: The winner gets $7 million. The total prize money is $32 million.
Who won last time?: Ivory Coast (2023)
2025 Africa Cup of Nations Schedule:
The first match is on Sunday, December 21, at the updated Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. Morocco will play against Comoros.
After that, there are 51 more matches, with 24 teams in group and knockout rounds over the next month.
The final match will be on Sunday, January 18, at the same place in Rabat.
(Times are Moroccan, GMT+1, and could change.)
Group Stage
Sunday, December 21
Group A: Morocco vs. Comoros – 8:00 PM
Monday, December 22
Group A: Mali vs. Zambia – 3:00 PM
Group B: South Africa vs. Angola – 6:00 PM
Group B: Egypt vs. Zimbabwe – 9:00 PM
Tuesday, December 23
Group D: DR Congo vs Benin – 1:30 PM
Group D: Senegal vs. Botswana – 4:00 PM
Group C: Nigeria vs.Tanzania – 6:30 PM
Group C: Tunisia vs. Uganda – 9:00 PM
Wednesday, December 24
Group E: Burkina Faso vs. Equatorial Guinea – 1:30 PM
Group E: Algeria vs. Sudan – 4:00 PM
Group F: Ivory Coast vs. Mozambique – 6:30 PM
Group F: Cameroon vs. Gabon – 9:00 PM
Friday, December 26
Group B: Angola vs. Zimbabwe – 1:30 PM
Group B: Egypt vs. South Africa – 4:00 PM
Group A: Zambia vs. Comoros – 6:30 PM
Group A: Morocco vs. Mali – 9:00 PM
Saturday, December 27
Group D: Benin vs Botswana – 1:30 PM
Group D: Senegal vs. DR Congo – 4:00 PM
Group C: Uganda vs. Tanzania – 6:30 PM
Group C: Nigeria vs. Tunisia – 9:00 PM
Sunday, December 28
Group F: Gabon vs. Mozambique – 1:30 PM
Group E: Equatorial Guinea vs. Sudan – 4:00 PM
Group E: Algeria vs. Burkina Faso – 6:30 PM
Group F: Ivory Coast vs. Cameroon – 9:00 PM
Monday, December 29
Group B: Zimbabwe vs. South Africa – 5:00 PM
Group B: Angola vs Egypt – 5:00 PM
Group A: Zambia vs. Morocco – 8:00 PM
Group A: Comoros vs. Mali – 8:00 PM
Tuesday, December 30
Group C: Uganda vs Nigeria – 5:00 PM
Group C: Tanzania vs. Tunisia – 5:00 PM
Group D: Botswana vs. DR Congo – 8:00 PM
Group D: Benin vs. Senegal – 8:00 PM
Wednesday, December 31
Group E: Equatorial Guinea vs. Algeria – 5:00 PM
Group E: Sudan vs. Burkina Faso – 5:00 PM
Group F: Gabon vs. Ivory Coast – 8:00 PM
Group F: Mozambique vs. Cameroon – 8:00 PM
Round of 16
Saturday, January 3
Match 37: Winner of Group D vs. Third of Groups B/E/F – 5:00 PM
Match 38: Second Group A vs. Second Group C – 8:00 PM
Sunday, January 4
Match 39: Winner of Group A vs. Third of Third of Groups C/D/E – 5:00 PM
Match 40: Second Group B vs Second Group F – 8:00 PM
Monday, January 5
Match 41: Winner of Group B vs. Third of Groups A/C/D – 5:00 PM
Match 42: Winner of Group C vs Third of Groups A/B/F – 8:00 PM
Tuesday, January 6
Match 43: Winner G Group E vs Winner of vs.Second Grvs.Second ofoup D – 5:00 PM
Match 44: Winner of Second of Group F vs. Winner of Second ofvs. Group E – 8:00 PM
Quarter-Finals
Friday, January 9
Match 45: Winner M38 vs Second of vs.Winner M37 – 5:00 PM
Match 46: Winner M40 vs. vs.vs.Winner M39 – 8:00 PM
Saturday, January 10
Match 47: Winner M43 vs Winner M42 – 5:00 PM
Match 48: Winner M41 vs.Winner M44 – 8:00 PM
Semi-Finals
Wednesday, January 14
Match 49: Winner M45 vs. Winner M48 – 6:00 PM
Match 50: Winner M47 vs. Winner M46 – 9:00 PM
Third-Place Playoff
Saturday, January 17
Match 51: Loser M49 vs. Loser M50 – 5:00 PM
Final
Sunday, January 18
Match 52: Winner M49 vs. Winner M50 – 8:00 PM
Teams and Groups
The 24 teams will fight for the title. They earned their spots through qualifiers that ended in November 2024, way before the finals.
The top two teams from each of the 12 groups moved on. The draw for the finals was in January 2025.
The 24 teams are in six groups with four teams in each.
How the Tournament Works
The teams in each group will play each other. The top two teams automatically move to the Round of 16.
The four best third-place teams will join them. Usually, three points is enough to get one of these spots.
If teams are tied on points, here's how it's decided: head-to-head results first, then goal difference in all group matches, then goals scored, and if it's still tied, they draw lots.
The knockout stage starts with the Round of 16 and goes until the final. If a match is tied, they'll play extra time and have a penalty shootout if needed.
There's also a third-place playoff match.
Venues
The games will be played in nine stadiums across six cities in Morocco:
Rabat: Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah (69 500)
Rabat: Stade Annexe Olympique Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah (21,000)
Rabat: Complexe Sportif Prince Hertitier Moulay El Hassan (22 000)
Rabat: Stade El Barid (18,000)
Casablanca: Stade Mohammed V (67 000)
Marrakech: Grand Stade de Marrakech (45 240)
Fès: Complexe Sportif de Fès (45,000)
Tangier: Grand Stade de Tanger (68 000)
Agadir: Grand Stade d’Agadir (45 480)
Prize Money and Sponsors
The winner of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 gets $7 million, which is a big jump from the $4 million in 2021.
Here’s how the prize money breaks down:
Winner: $7,000,000
Runner-up: $4,000,000
Semi-finalists: $2,500,000
Quarter-finalists: $1,300,000
Round of 16: $800,000
Third in Group: $700,000
Fourth in Group: $500,000
Total prize money: $32,000,000
CAF has sponsors for the event, with TotalEnergies as the main one. Others include VISA, PUMA, Orange, 1xBet, Royal Air Maroc, TECNO, QNET, Rexona, Danone, LONACI, Apsonic, Midea, AGL, Laughing Cow, Sidi Ali, and Suzuki.
History
The Africa Cup of Nations started in 1957, even before the European Championships! It began with just three teams: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. South Africa was supposed to be the fourth, but they were kicked out because of apartheid.,
Over the years, the tournament has grown as more countries have become part of CAF.
By 1968, there were eight teams, and that stayed the same for a while.
In 1992, it grew to 12 teams, and they added a quarter-final stage for the first time. Then, in 1996, it jumped to 16 teams, which lasted for over 20 years.
Most recently, in 2019, the tournament went to 24 teams.
Egypt has won the most times, with seven titles. But their last win was in 2010, which was their third in a row after wins in 2006 and 2008. No other team has won three in a row.
Cameroon is next with five wins, followed by Ghana with four (but they haven't won since 1982 and didn't qualify this year). Nigeria and the Ivory Coast each have three wins.
There have been 15 different winners in total. Morocco, which is hosting this year, last won in 1976.
The Trophy
The current Africa Cup of Nations trophy has been used since 2002. It's the third trophy for the championship.
The first one, made of silver, was named after the first CAF president. Ghana got to keep it after winning for the third time in 1978.
Then came the African Unity Cup, which was used from 1980 to 2000. Cameroon won it three times.
The current trophy, gold-plated, was made in Italy and introduced in 2002. Even though Egypt won it three times between 2006 and 2010, they didn't get to keep it.
The Match Ball
The official match ball is made with PUMA’s Orbita 6 technology and is called ITRI. Its design is inspired by Morocco’s zellij art, known for its complicated geometric patterns.
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.