AFCON 2025 QUARTER-FINALS: FOUR BLOCKBUSTER GAMES THAT WILL SHAKE AFRICAN FOOTBALL THIS WEEKEND
Get the ultimate AFCON quarter-final guide. We analyse Nigeria’s attack, Morocco’s home pressure, and Senegal’s historic streak.
The Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals start on Friday with four big games that could go either way, making for some interesting contests.
Some teams got here easily, while others struggled, but in the knockout stage, it's all about how you play on the day.
Mali vs. Senegal
Friday, 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT) – Tangier
This West African match is between two familiar teams. Senegal has the bigger stars, but Mali has shown they're fighters who can beat the odds. Mali's coach, Tom Saintfiet, knows how to get the most out of underdog teams and will have his team ready with a smart plan. Then, it's just a matter of doing it right.
Senegal has talent all over the field and has gotten better as the tournament has gone on. They've played Guinea more (53 times) than Mali (40) in international games, and they're ahead in wins 19–8 with 13 draws. They haven't lost to Mali since 1997, a streak of 13 games where they've won four and drawn nine. They only played each other once before in the Cup of Nations, a 1–1 draw in the group stage in 2004.
Mali has drawn four times to get to this point but has a good record in the quarter-finals, winning six of their previous seven games at this stage. Their only loss was to Ivory Coast in extra time two years ago. Senegal is unbeaten in 15 Cup of Nations games, not counting penalty shoot-outs, which is their longest run ever. They last lost to Algeria in the 2019 final.
Cameroon vs. Morocco
Friday, 20h00 local time (19h00 GMT) – Rabat
There will be a lot of pressure on Morocco, the host team, as the tournament gets to the important part. They haven't played their best yet, relying on Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi for goals, who are the only two who have scored for them in the first four games.
Cameroon has been quietly good and has some great young players who have gotten them this far. Morocco often disappoints at the Cup of Nations, last winning 50 years ago, even though they've had some great teams since then. But, they've been hard to beat at home in recent years and have a lot of players with experience in Europe.
These teams haven't played each other much, with only 13 games before. Cameroon has won more, 6–2, with five draws. They've played three times in the Cup of Nations, most recently in 1992, with Cameroon winning two of those games and drawing the other. Cameroon's average ball possession in this tournament (43.2%) is the lowest of all eight teams in the quarter-finals.
Surprisingly, this is only Morocco's fifth time in the continental quarter-finals. They've only moved on once in the previous four, in 2004, when they lost in the final.
Algeria vs. Nigeria
Saturday, 17h00 local time (16h00 GMT)—Marrakech
Nigeria has probably been the best team in the tournament so far, despite a few issues off the field. They've cruised into the quarter-finals, scoring 12 goals, and look a lot better than the team that didn't even qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Algeria hasn't been as flashy, but they've also won all four games, only letting in one goal, so this will be an interesting clash of styles. The teams have played 23 times before, with Algeria winning more, 10–8, with five draws. Nigeria's last win was in a World Cup qualifier in 2016.
This is a repeat of the 2019 Cup of Nations semi-final, which Algeria won 2–1 thanks to a William Troost-Ekong own goal and a late goal from Riyad Mahrez. Since winning in 1990, Algeria has reached six quarter-finals but only moved on twice, finishing fourth in 2010 and winning again in 2019. They were knocked out in the group stage in the last two tournaments without winning a game.
Nigeria is great at this stage of the tournament. Since the quarter-finals started in 1992, they've played 11 games and won 10 of them. Their only loss was to Ghana in 2008. Ademola Lookman is their key player, with seven goals involved (three goals, four assists) in four games in this tournament.
Egypt vs. Ivory Coast
Saturday, 20h00 local time (19h00 GMT)—Agadir
Egypt, which has won the most times (seven), plays against an impressive Ivory Coast team that is fast and talented. Egypt has been steady so far, but feels like they can play even better. Ivory Coast is the defending champion and played great in their last game against Burkina Faso.
Egypt has won more over the years, with 10 wins to Ivory Coast's five, with six draws, but the teams have only played once since 2013. That was in 2021, when Egypt won on penalties after a 0–0 draw.
Egypt has won their last five quarter-final games and six of its 10 overall at this stage. They've let in 99 goals in Cup of Nations history and could reach 100 in this game. Ivory Coast has had mixed results in the quarter-finals, playing 11 and winning seven.
This is a repeat of the 2006 Cup of Nations final, where Egypt won on penalties after a 0–0 draw. Egypt is trying to win their eighth title, having not won since 2010. They then didn't qualify for three tournaments in a row and have since lost finals in 2017 and 2021.
ELITE CLUBS INITIATE EMERGENCY TALKS TO SIGN THE HOTTEST MIDFIELD PROSPECT KEES SMIT IN EUROPE
AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit is the hottest prospect in Europe. Discover the £70m race between Real Madrid, Barcelona, and the Premier League.
Real Madrid’s strategy for finding talent often involves spotting promising players early on, and Kees Smit is starting to catch serious attention.
This midfielder from AZ Alkmaar has been making waves in the Netherlands, and now his progress is drawing interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid.
Rafael van der Vaart, who knows firsthand what it takes to make it at the Bernabeu, seems confident about Smit’s potential.
When Van der Vaart spoke on Ziggo Sport’s Rondo (via Mundo Deportivo), he didn’t hold back about the young player’s future.
“He’s truly a remarkable player.
We tend to throw around the word 'good' a lot, but with him, it’s genuine.
If he keeps developing at this pace, there’s little doubt he’ll land at Real Madrid or another top club, Real Madrid being the prime example in my mind.”
Still, Van der Vaart also stressed that talent alone won’t carry Smit all the way.
Handling the mental pressure will be just as crucial as his skills on the pitch. He elaborated,
“He needs to learn how to deal with everything that comes with this kind of spotlight, but from what I see, he remains quite grounded.
He doesn’t seem fazed by pressure, at least not visibly. Plus, he handles interviews well and comes across as quite composed.”
As for Real Madrid’s stance, Smit is definitely on their radar. The club sees him as one of Europe’s more promising midfielders, and they’re keeping a close eye on his development.
That said, he’s not considered an urgent target this summer, with other positions taking priority. This situation could open the door to competition from others.
Meanwhile, several Premier League clubs are tracking his progress, and Barcelona reportedly have shown interest too.
As interest mounts, so does the expected price. Any transfer is rumoured to require a hefty sum, with figures reportedly topping €50 million.
For now, Smit’s focus remains on growing at AZ Alkmaar. But if his upward trend continues, it’s likely only a matter of time before a major European club makes their move.
EXCLUSIVE: AJAX AND SCHALKE LAUNCH BIDS FOR OUT-OF-CONTRACT RANGERS MIDFIELDER BAILEY RICE NOW
Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice is a top target for Ajax and Schalke. Get the latest on his contract status and potential summer exit.
Ajax and Schalke are chasing Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice, with both clubs working to seal a deal for the 19-year-old, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Rangers just wrapped up a training camp in Spain, gearing up for a crucial five-game stretch to go for the league title after the split earlier this month. Their run-in starts with Motherwell at home on Sunday, then a massive trip to face league leaders Hearts at Tynecastle next weekend.
After that comes the season’s final Old Firm showdown against Celtic at Parkhead on May 10, before closing out with Hibernian and Falkirk, who are the lowest-ranked teams in the split, having finished fifth and sixth.
This summer looks set for big changes at Rangers, and Rice is right at the centre of it. Romano reported on X that both Ajax and Schalke want to sign Rice as a free agent. The young Scottish midfielder is out of contract this summer. Talks over a new deal with Rangers haven’t worked out, so he’s weighing up his next move. Schalke reportedly already made him a personal offer, and Premier League side Aston Villa had also been linked with him earlier this year.
Rice has barely featured for Rangers this season after suffering a serious training injury that needed surgery; he’s only played a handful of minutes.
As for the rest of the squad, Rangers look set for another overhaul. After a busy transfer window last summer and more signings in January, things don’t seem to be slowing down. Manager Rohl has made do with what he has, but the club’s owners, the 49ers, are ready to back a ‘major recruitment drive’ this summer. Their aim? Knock Celtic off the top and keep Hearts from breaking up the Old Firm grip on Scottish football.
Nobody knows just how many players could come in yet, but it’s clear the owners are serious about shaking things up at Ibrox.
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