The 24 nations taking part in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 now know their opponents in the first round following today’s draw at the Mohammed V National Theatre in Rabat, Morocco.
Defending champions Côte d’Ivoire will face Cameroon, Gabon and Mozambique. Hosts Morocco, whose only continental title came in 1976, will meet Mali, Zambia and Comoros, one of the in-form teams in CAF qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™. Egypt, the record seven-time African champions, will be up against South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe.
The AFCON 2025 will be the last major tournament on the continent before the World Cup unfolds in June and July 2026. A minimun of nine African teams will qualify. The region’s preliminaries will resume in March.
Some sides drawn against one another in the AFCON have already competed in World Cup 26 qualifying. Morocco edged Zambia 2-1, South Africa beat Zimbabwe 3-1 and Senegal and DR Congo drew 1-1. Mali and Comoros will also collide.
AFCON 2025 draw
Group A
Morocco
Mali
Zambia
Comoros
Group B
Egypt
South Africa
Angola
Zimbabwe
Group C
Nigeria
Tunisia
Uganda
Tanzania
Group D
Senegal
DR Congo
Benin
Botswana
Group E
Algeria
Burkina Faso
Equatorial Guinea
Sudan
Group F
Côte d’Ivoire
Cameroon
Gabon
Mozambique
Reactions to the draw
“It would be a lie to say that the pressure isn’t on. The Moroccan people have been waiting since 1976 for the trophy to come home. We’re lucky enough to be organising this African Cup of Nations at home, in front of the best crowd in the world. We’ll need the players, of course, and good organisation, but I’m not worried. I think we’ll have the best African Cup of Nations ever, with magnificent stadiums. Morocco is a country of hospitality and respect, but I hope we won’t show too much of that on the pitch.”
Walid Regragui, Morocco coach
“There are so many good teams that it’s very difficult for me to say who we want to avoid. We’re going to prepare well to take on all the teams and try to win game after game to go back to Abidjan with the cup.”
Emerse Fae, Côte d’Ivoire coach
“We’re delighted to be one of the qualified teams, and we want to win the eighth title. We have been lucky enough to have Mo Salah, one of the best players in the world. I’m delighted to have players like him and [Omar] Marmoush. We want to honour the fans and Egyptian football here in Morocco. This Africa Cup of Nations is going to go well because the infrastructure in Morocco is superb.”
Hossam Hassan, Egypt coach
“Yes, it’s going to be difficult to win because there are 24 very good teams and some very good coaches. I know I’ve got a team that’s out for revenge, and I’m out for revenge too, so we’re going to have a lot of fun. I’d also like to thank Morocco for the warm welcome. Shukran.”
Eric Chelle, Nigeria coach
AFCON champions
7 titles
Egypt (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010)
۵ titles
Cameroon (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017)
۴ titles
Ghana (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)
۳ titles
Nigeria (1980, 1994, 2013), Côte d’Ivoire (1992, 2015, 2023)
۲ titles
Algeriae (1990, 2019), DR Congo (1968, 1974)
۱ title
Zambia (2012), Tunisia (2004), Sudan (1970), Senegal (2021), South Africa (1993), Ethiopia (1962), Morocco (1976), Congo (1972)
FIFA World Cup participations
8 – Cameroon
6 – Morocco
6 – Nigeria
6 – Tunisia
4 – Ghana
4 – Algeria
3 – Senegal
3 – Egypt
3 – South Africa
3 – Côte d’Ivoire
1 – DR Congo
1 – Angola
1 – Togo
source
کلاس یوس