AFCON 2025 kicks off in Morocco: fixtures & standings

Twenty-four of Africa’s men’s national football teams are competing in the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, taking place in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. The 35th edition of the biennial tournament is being hosted across nine venues in six cities.

Three global music stars, French Montana, Davido, and RedOne headlined the ceremony’s flagship performance, titled “Le Show”, as African football’s flagship tournament launched with a spectacle designed to capture the imagination of audiences around the world.

The performance was one of the most visually striking opening moments in AFCON history, combining music, light, movement, and carefully choreographed display aimed at a global television audience stretching beyond the continent.

The ceremony marks the start of a month-long tournament, running until January 18, featuring 24 national teams competing across six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakech, Fez, and Agadir.

With nine stadiums in use and Morocco hosting the finals for the first time since 1988, AFCON 2025 is one of the most ambitious editions of the competition. The 24 teams are divided into six groups (A-F), each comprising four teams. In the group stage, teams will compete in a round-robin format.

After the group stage, the top two teams from each group, along with four of the best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.

CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025: The complete draw

• Group A: Morocco (hosts), 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: Ivory Coast (holders), Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

Group A fixtures

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Morocco	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
2	Mali	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Zambia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Comoros	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0

Sunday, 21 December 2025

• Morocco 2-0 Comoros (Brahim Diaz 55′, Ayoub El Kaabi 74′)

Monday, 22 December 2025

• Mali vs Zambia, 15:00

Friday, 26 December 2025

• Zambia vs Comoros, 18:30
• Morocco vs Mali, 21:00

Monday, 29 December 2025

• Zambia vs Morocco, 20:00
• Comoros vs Mali, 20:00

Group B fixtures

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Angola	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Egypt	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Zimbabwe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Monday, 22 December 2025

• South Africa vs Angola, 18:00
• Egypt vs Zimbabwe, 21:00

Friday, 26 December 2025

• Angola vs Zimbabwe, 13:30
• Egypt vs South Africa, 16:00

Monday, 29 December 2025

• Zimbabwe vs South Africa, 17:00
• Angola vs Egypt, 17:00

Group C fixtures

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Nigeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Tanzania	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Tunisia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Uganda	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Tuesday, 23 December 2025

• Nigeria vs Tanzania, 17:30 
• Tunisia vs Uganda, 20:00

Saturday, 27 December 2025

• Uganda vs Tanzania, 17:30 
• Nigeria vs Tunisia, 20:00

Tuesday, 30 December 2025

• Uganda vs Nigeria, 16:00
• Tanzania vs Tunisia, 16:00

Group D fixtures

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Benin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Botswana	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	DR Congo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Senegal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Tuesday, 23 December 2025

• DR Congo vs Benin, 12:30
• Senegal vs Botswana, 15:00

Saturday, 27 December 2025

• Benin vs Botswana, 12:30
• Senegal vs DR Congo, 15:00

Tuesday, 30 December 2025

• Botswana vs DR Congo, 19:00
• Benin vs Senegal, 19:00

Group E fixtures

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Algeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Burkina Faso	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Equatorial Guinea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Sudan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Wednesday, 24 December 2025

• Burkina Faso vs Equatorial Guinea, 12:30
• Algeria vs Sudan, 15:00

Sunday, 28 December 2025

• Equatorial Guinea vs Sudan, 15:00 
• Algeria vs Burkina Faso, 17:30

Wednesday, 31 December 2025

• Equatorial Guinea vs Algeria, 16:00
• Sudan vs Burkina Faso, 16:00

Group F fixtures

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Cameroon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Côte d’Ivoire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Gabon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Mozambique	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Wednesday, 24 December 2025

• Côte d’Ivoire vs Mozambique, 17:30
• Cameroon vs Gabon, 20:00

Sunday, 28 December 2025

• Gabon vs Mozambique, 12:30
• Côte d’Ivoire vs Cameroon, 20:00

Wednesday, 31 December 2025

• Gabon vs Côte d’Ivoire, 19:00
• Match : Mozambique vs Cameroon, 19:00

Round of 16 fixtures/results

• Saturday, 3 January 2026
  • Group D winners vs 3rd place (B/E/F), 17:00
  • Group A runners-up vs Group C runners-up, 20:00
• Sunday, 4 January 2026
  • Group A winners vs 3rd place (C/D/E), 17:00
  • Group B runners-up vs Group F runners-up, 20:00
• Monday, 5 January 2026
  • Group B winners vs 3rd place (A/C/D), 17:00
  • Group C winners vs 3rd place (A/B/F), 20:00
• Tuesday, 6 January 2026
  • Group E winners vs Group D runners-up, 17:00
  • Group F winners vs Group E runners-up, 20:00

Quarter-finals results

• Friday, 9 January 2026
  • Winner R16‑2 vs Winner R16‑1, 17:00
  • Winner R16‑4 vs Winner R16‑3, 21:00
• Saturday, 10 January 2026
  • Winner R16‑7 vs Winner R16‑6, 17:00
  • Winner R16‑5 vs Winner R16‑8, 20:00

Semi-finals results

• Wednesday, 14 January 2026
  • Semi-final 1, 18:00
  • Semi-final 2, 21:00

Third-Place Play-off result

• Saturday, 17 January 2026
  • Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2, 17:00

Final result

• Sunday, 18 January 2026
  • Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2, 20:00, at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat

Source: Olympics, CAF

African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup