Charles Muchoki | Africa Guardian
The stage is set for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with all 24 teams officially qualified for the highly anticipated tournament. Here’s everything you need to know about the qualifiers, standings, and the competition’s next chapter.
Qualified Teams
Hosts: Morocco
Other Qualifiers: Burkina Faso, Egypt, Algeria, Angola, DR Congo, Cameroon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Comoros, Gabon, Nigeria, Zambia, Mali, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Botswana, Benin, Sudan, Tanzania, Mozambique
Eliminated Teams
Lesotho, Liberia, Eswatini, Namibia, Burundi, South Sudan, Malawi, Gambia, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo-Brazzaville, Mauritania, Rwanda, Libya, Niger, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
What is AFCON?
The Africa Cup of Nations is Africa’s premier biennial football competition, bringing together top national teams to compete for the continental crown. Since its inception in 1957, AFCON has grown from just three teams to a 24-nation tournament, representing over 44% of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) member associations.
Often abbreviated as AFCON, the tournament is also referred to as CAN (Coupe d’Afrique des Nations) in French-speaking regions. It is Africa’s equivalent to Europe’s UEFA Euro, South America’s Copa América, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
When is the Next AFCON?
The 2025 AFCON will be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, hosted by Morocco across six cities.
The tournament’s scheduling was adjusted due to FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup set for June-July 2025 and changes to the UEFA Champions League format. Morocco stepped in as hosts in September 2023 after Guinea lost its hosting rights over infrastructure concerns.
AFCON Qualifying Format
The qualifying campaign underwent several stages:
- Preliminary Round: The eight lowest-ranked teams (as per February 2024 FIFA World Rankings) competed in home-and-away playoffs in March 2024. Four teams advanced.
- Group Stage: The 48 remaining teams, including hosts Morocco, were divided into 12 groups of four. Each group followed a round-robin format with matches played home and away from September to November 2024.
- Qualification: The top two teams from each group advanced, except in Group B, where Gabon joined already-qualified hosts Morocco as the sole representatives.
Tiebreakers
CAF used a head-to-head system to resolve ties on points. If two teams were level, their results against each other took precedence over goal difference.
- This rule notably impacted Group B, where Benin edged out Rwanda for the second spot. Although both teams finished with eight points and won one match each against the other, Benin advanced on head-to-head goal difference after a decisive 3-0 win in October.
Stay tuned as the countdown begins for AFCON 2025, where Africa’s finest football talents will battle for continental glory!
___