Africa Cup of Nations – Preview And Top Betting Tips
The African Cup of Nations starts on December 21st and will be held in the North African country of Morocco. With teams set to lose players competing in the tournament on the 15th December at the earliest, this promises to be one of the most hotly contested AFCON tournaments in recent times.
After reaching the World Cup semi-finals back in 2022, Morocco will be the hot favourites to do well on home soil, but they face a stiff test from a number of other teams participating in the event.
Let’s now take a look at the tournament and fixtures.
Africa Cup of Nations – Group Stage & Fixtures
Group A
- Comoros
- Mali
- Morocco
- Zambia
21st Dec – 7pm – Morocco v Comoros
22nd Dec – 2pm – Mali v Zambia
26th Dec – 5.30pm – Zambia v Comoros
26th Dec – 8pm – Morocco v Mali
29th Dec – 7pm – Zambia v Morocco
29th Dec – 7pm – Comoros v Mali
Group B
- Angola
- Egypt
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
22nd Dec – 5pm – South Africa v Angola
22nd Dec – 8pm – Egypt v Zimbabwe
26th Dec – 12.30pm – Angola v Zimbabwe
26th Dec – 3pm – Egypt v South Africa
29th Dec – 4pm – Zimbabwe v South Africa
29th Dec – 4pm – Angola v Egypt
Group C
- Nigeria
- Tanzania
- Tunisia
- Uganda
23rd Dec – 5.30pm – Nigeria v Tanzania
23rd Dec – 8pm – Tunisia v Uganda
27th Dec – 5.30pm – Uganda v Tanzania
27th Dec – 8pm – Nigeria v Tunisia
30th Dec – 4pm – Uganda v Nigeria
30th Dec – 4pm – Tanzania v Tunisia
Group D
- Benin
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Senegal
23rd Dec – 12.30pm – DR Congo v Benin
23rd Dec – 3pm – Senegal v Botswana
27th Dec – 12.30pm – Benin v Botswana
27th Dec – 3pm – Senegal v DR Congo
30th Dec – 7pm – Botswana v DR Congo
30th Dec – 7pm – Benin v Senegal
Group E
- Algeria
- Burkina Faso
- Equatorial Guinea
- Sudan
24th Dec – 12.30pm – Burkina Faso v Equatorial Guinea
24th Dec – 3pm – Algeria v Sudan
28th Dec – 3pm – Equatorial Guinea v Sudan
28th Dec – 5.30pm – Algeria v Burkina Faso
30th Dec – 4pm – Equatorial Guinea v Algeria
30th Dec – 4pm – Sudan v Burkina Faso
Group F
- Cameroon
- Gabon
- Ivory Coast
- Mozambique
24th Dec – 5.30pm – Ivory Coast v Mozambique
24th Dec – 8pm – Cameroon v Gabon
28th Dec – 12.30 – Gabon v Mozambique
28th Dec – 8pm – Ivory Coast v Cameroon
30th Dec – 7pm – Gabon v Ivory Coast
30th Dec – 7pm – Mozambique v Cameroon
The top two teams in each group, together with the four third-place teams with the best records qualify for the Knockout Phase of the competition which begins on the 3rd January 2026.
Current Betting Odds
Odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport at the time of writing, but may have changed in the meantime.
- 11/4 fav – Morocco
- 11/2 – Egypt
- 6/1 – Algeria, Senegal
- 9/1 – Nigeria
- 12/1 – Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Mali
- 16/1 – Cameroon
- 40/1 – South Africa
- 50/1 – DR Congo
- 66/1 – Angola
- 80/1 – Burkina Faso, Zambia, Gabon
- 100/1 – Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Benin, Sudan
- 150/1 – Comoros, Tanzania
- 200/1 – Uganda
- 350/1 – Zimbabwe
- 500/1 – Botswana
Top Players Performing at AFCON 2025
Outlined below are some of the top players who will be appearing for their country at the AFCON 2025 tournament.
- Mo Salah (Liverpool) – Egypt
- Omar Marmoush (Man City) – Egypt
- Nayef Aguerd (Marseille) – Morocco
- Noussair Mazraoui (Man Utd) – Morocco
- Achraf Hakimi (Paris St Germain) – Morocco
- Azzedine Ounahi (Girona) – Morocco
- Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid) – Morocco
- Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiakos) – Morocco
- Amine Adli (Bournemouth) – Morocco
- Sadio Mane (Al Nassr) – Senegal
- Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal) – Senegal
- Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace) – Senegal
- Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich) – Senegal
- Carlos Baleba (Brighton) – Cameroon
- Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd) – Cameroon
- Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley) – Tunisia
- Chancel Mbemba (Lille) – DR Congo
- Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland) – DR Congo
- Noah Sadiki (Sunderland) – DR Congo
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham) – DR Congo
- Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley) – DR Congo
- Cedric Bakambu (Betis) – DR Congo
- Ola Aina (Nottm Forest) – Nigeria
- Calvin Bassey (Fulham) – Nigeria
- Alex Iwobi (Fulham) – Nigeria
- Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas) – Nigeria
- Frank Onyeka (Brentford) – Nigeria
- Ademola Lookman (Atalanta) – Nigeria
- Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray) – Nigeria
- Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham) – Nigeria
- Kelechi Iheanacho (Celtic) – Nigeria
- Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta) – Ivory Coast
- Emmanuel Agbadou (Wolves) – Ivory Coast
- Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest) – Ivory Coast
- Frank Kessie (Al Ahli) – Ivory Coast
- Evan Guessand (Aston Villa) – Ivory Coast
- Amad Diallo (Man Utd) – Ivory Coast
- Reinildo Mandava (Sunderland) – Mozambique
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille) – Gabon
- Lyle Foster (Burnley) – South Africa
- Tawanda Chirea (Wolves) – Zimbabwe
- Lassana Coulibaly (Lecce) – Mali
- Amadou Haidara (RB Leipzig) – Mali
- Mamadou Sangare (Lens) – Mali
- Patson Daka (Leicester) – Zambia
- Rafiki Said (Standard Liege) – Comoros
Ahead of the World Cup in the summer, this is a chance for many of Africa’s top stars to shine on a global stage by becoming the continent’s latest Champions.
