REVEALED: WHY OPTA’S SUPERCOMPUTER SNUBBED THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS IVORY COAST FOR 2025 AFCON
AFCON 2025 starts in Morocco as CAF announces the end of the two-year cycle. See Opta's shock picks for the win.
AFCON is coming up in Morocco from December 21 to January 18.
Heads up: this tourney is switching from every two years to every four after this one.
So, who's expected to win? Opta says Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Algeria, and Nigeria are the top contenders, in that order.
Let's check out why they're tipped to win and who to watch on each team.
Morocco
Opta puts Morocco at the top with a 19.1% shot at winning. Not shocking, since they're playing at home and got to the World Cup semi-finals recently.
Walid Regragui is still coaching after that World Cup run, and he's got a solid team.
Keep an eye on PSG’s Achraf Hakimi and Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, plus Nayef Aguerd, Noussair Mazraoui, Sofyan Amrabat, and Eliesse Ben Seghir.
Egypt
All eyes will be glued to Mohamed Salah, like always, but for maybe a different reason this time.
After his little outburst after the Liverpool vs. Leeds match, it'll be interesting to see how he does for Egypt.
He's a guaranteed starter for Hossam Hassan (if he's fit). Even though Egypt has won AFCON seven times (the most ever), Salah has never won it.
Opta gives Egypt a 12.4% chance of winning. Besides Salah and Omar Marmoush, their team isn't as loaded as some others.
Senegal
Senegal might have the best team overall, including Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, Ismaila Sarr, Pape Sarr, Ibrahim Mbaye, Iliman Ndiaye, Nicolas Jackson, and Sadio Mane.
They snagged their first AFCON title in 2021, and Opta thinks they've got a 12.3% chance to repeat.
Interestingly, Senegal is grouped with DR Congo, whom they beat to get a World Cup spot. Congo ended up second and now has to do a playoff in March to get there, so they might want some revenge.
Algeria
Algeria took home the trophy in 2019 and might be past their prime now, but Opta still gives them a 12% chance.
Riyad Mahrez is still their main man, like back in 2019. They also have Ismael Bennacer and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Since their win in 2019, they haven't made it out of the group stage at AFCON, so they're looking to turn that around.
Nigeria
After missing out on the next World Cup, the Super Eagles definitely have something to prove here.
Like Senegal, their team is stacked with Calvin Bassey, Nathan Tella, Wilfred Ndidi, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Victor Osimhen.
Opta gives them a 7.3% chance to win.
Other stuff to watch
Ivory Coast, even though they won the last AFCON in 2023, is ranked seventh by Opta, behind all the teams listed above and also Tunisia.
Ghana, which has won AFCON four times, didn't even make it this year.
It should be a fun tournament, and it all starts this week with Morocco vs. Comoros.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
