Error code: %{errorCode}
2025/26 Africa Cup of Nations: Groups, TV details, nations involved, format, and everything you need to know
When does the 2025 African Cup Of Nations take place?
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is scheduled to take place from December, 21, 2025, through January, 18, 2026, with its host nation being in Morocco.
The tournament will be the 35th edition of Africa’s premier international men’s football competition, organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
While it is officially referred to as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the event will be played largely in between 2025 and 2026 - a scheduling decision made to avoid clashes with the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which was played in the summer of 2025.
Hosting AFCON for the first time since 1998, Morocco will use the tournament as a major showcase of its football infrastructure.
Matches are expected to be staged across several modern stadiums in cities such as Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier, and Agadir, highlighting the country's growing role in global football ahead of its co-hosting duties for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The competition will feature 24 national teams, all of whom qualify through CAF’s regional qualification process.
These teams will compete in a group stage followed by knockout rounds, culminating in the final match in January 2026, where the champions of Africa will be crowned.
AFCON 2025 is expected to attract significant global attention, not only due to its winter scheduling but also because of the high quality of talent expected to be on display, including many African players starring in top European leagues - with Morocco’s strong organisational reputation and passionate football culture, the tournament is widely anticipated to be one of the most memorable and inspiring editions in AFCON history.
What is the format and schedule for the African Cup of Nations?
AFCON follows a well-established tournament format that features 24 national teams, earning a spot through a continental qualification campaign organized by the CAF - once qualified, teams are divided into six groups of four (Groups A-F).
During the group stage, each team plays three matches, facing every other team in its group once over.
Teams earn 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. At the end of the group stage the top two teams from each group automatically qualify for the knockout rounds, and the four best third placing teams across all groups also advance - the system allows 16 teams to progress beyond the group phase.
The knockout stage begins with the Round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final matchups.
All knockout matches are single-eliminination based, so if a match is drawn at 90 minutes it'll go to extra time, or a penalty shootout to find a winner - a third-place-playoff is usually held between the two losing semi-finalists.
National teams, groups, and more
Here’s how the groups stand so far.
Group A
| Group A | Played | W | D | L | Points |
| Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Mali | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Comoros | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Zambia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Group B
| Group B | Played | W | D | L | Points |
| Egypt | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| South Africa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Angola | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Group C
| Group C | Played | W | D | L | Points |
| Nigeria | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Tanzania | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Uganda | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Group D
| Group D | Played | W | D | L | Points |
| Senegal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| DR Congo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Benin | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Botswana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Group E
| Group E | Played | W | D | L | Points |
| Algeria | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Burkina Faso | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sudan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Group F
| Group F | Played | W | D | L | Points |
| Ivory Coast | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Cameroon | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Mozambique | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Gabon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Group stage - Matchday 1 of 3
21 December
- Morocco 2-0 Comoros
22 December
- Mali 1-1 Zambia
- South Africa 2-1 Angola
- Egypt 2-1 Zimbabwe
23 December
- DR Congo 1-0 Benin
- Senegal 3-0 Botswana
- Nigeria 2-1. Tanzania
- Tunisia 3-1 Uganda
24 December
- Burkina Faso 2-1 Equatorial Guinea
- Algeria 3-0 Sudan
- Ivory Coast 1-0 Mozambique
- Cameroon 1-0 Gabon
Group stage - Matchday 2 of 3
26 December
- Angola 1-1 Zimbabwe
- Egypt 1-0 South Africa
- Zambia 0-0 Comoros
- Morocco 1-1 Mali
27 December
- Benin 1-0 Botswana
- Senegal 1-1 DR Congo
- Uganda 1-1 Tanzania
- Nigeria 3-2 Tunisia
28 December
- Gabon 2-3 Mozambique
- Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Sudan
- Algeria 1-0 Burkina Faso
- Ivory Coast 1-1 Cameroon
Group stage - Matchday 3 of 3
29 December
- Zimbabwe 2-3 South Africa
- Angola 0-0 Egypt
- Zambia 0-3 Morocco
- Comoros 0-0 Mali
30 December
- Uganda 1-3 Nigeria
- Tanzania 1-1 Tunisia
- Botswana 0-3 DR Congo
- Benin 0-3 Senegal
31 December
- Equatorial Guinea 1-3 Algeria
- Sudan 0-2 Burkina Faso
- Gabon 2-3 Ivory Coast
- Mozambique 1-2 Cameroon
Round of 16 and finalist match dates
The round of 16 will take place between 3 January - 6 January, followed by quarter-final matchups on the 9 + 10 January, and semi-final matches landing on the 14th. All culminating towards the match for 3rd place on the 17th, and the crowning of whichever nation takes home the cup on 18 January
Qualifiers:
Group A - Morocco, Mali
Group B - Egypt, South Africa
Group C - Nigeria, Tunisia, Tanzania
Group D - Senegal, DR Congo, Benin
Group E - Algeria, Burkina Faso, Sudan
Group F - Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique
Round of 16 results/fixtures
3 January
- Senegal 3-1 Sudan
- Mali 1-1 Tunisia (Mali win 3-2 on penalties)
4 January
- Morocco 1-0 Tanzania
- South Africa 1-2 Cameroon
5 January
- Egypt 3-1 Benin
- Nigeria 4-0 Mozambique
6 January
- Algeria 1-0 DR Congo
- Ivory Coast 3-0 Burkina Faso
Quarter-final fixtures
9 January
- Mali vs. Senegal
- Cameroon vs. Morocco
10 January
- Algeria vs. Nigeria
- Egypt vs. Ivory Coast
What awaits the Champions
The Champions will receive the official Africa Cup of Nations Trophy - the prestigious golden cup presented by the Confederacy of African Football.
Alongside that, the winner takes home a record high 10 million USD, with the runner-up recieving 4 million USD each, and each semi-finalist taking home 2.5 million USD.
DAZN/FIFA
Watch FIFA+ on DAZN
DAZN is the home of FIFA+, a vast library of football on-demand content including World Cup archive, iconic documentaries, player profiles, live matches and both full match replays and highlights.
Watch it all for FREE on DAZN on smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles and web browsers.
FIFA+ includes:
- FIFA World Cup archive - full match replays of all matches from Brazil 1970 to Qatar 2022
- World Cup goals - the best goals from each tournament; every goal from every nation from every tournament
- Original documentaries - including Mo: A Global Icon; Golden Boot: The Documentary; After Diego
- Icons of the game - From Pelé to Cristiano Ronaldo
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Live matches from around the world
If you do not already have the FREE DAZN App, then it is easy to download and register for free to start watching
Follow these instructions....
- Download the free DAZN App from your normal App store on your TV, phone, tablet, or streaming device
- On a laptop or PC visit www.DAZN.com/home
- Select 'Get started' or 'log in'
- Enter your email address, or sign up via the Apple, Google or Facebook options
- You then have access to all of DAZN's free content, including the Matchroom boxing channel, LIV Golf and FIFA+
