AFCON 2025 Draw: Preview, Date As Qualified Teams Set to Know Opponents in Morocco
- AFCON 2025 draw is slated for Monday 27 and all qualified teams are anxious to know their opponents in Morocco
- The hosting right of the 2025 edition was awarded to Morocco and the 2027 edition to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
- A total of 24 teams will participate in this year's tournament scheduled to hold between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026
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A total of 24 teams will compete in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and they are all set to know their group opponents.
The draw is scheduled for Monday, January 27, and this marks the beginning of another quest for African football supremacy among competing teams.
Ivory Coast will hope to defend the title which they won on home soil last year after a comeback win over the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the final.
Source: Getty Images
Many have rated AFCON 2023 to be the best in terms of organizing so far, but fans are already anticipating that the 35th edition of the global showpiece scheduled for Morocco would be outstanding.
CAF has confirmed that the competition will be played between December 21, 2025 and January 18, 2026.
Ahead of the draws, all the qualified teams have been drawn into four pots according to their rankings based on recent performances, Afrik Foot reports.
AFCON 2025 draw Pots
Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast.
Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, and Burkina Faso.
Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and Benin.
Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
These teams will be drawn into six groups A to F, consisting of four teams each.
The top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed sides advance to the Round of 16.
When is AFCON 2025 draw?
The draw for AFCON 2025 is slated for Monday, January 27, 2025, at 9pm EAT/6pm GMT.
The venue for the ceremony is the elegant Mohammed V National Theatre in Rabat, Morocco.
AFCON 2025 match venues
Morocco has named six stadiums in different cities to host the competition
Matches will be held at the Mohammed V Complex (Casablanca) and Moulay Abdellah Complex (Rabat).
Other host cities are Agadir, Marrakech, Fez, and Tangier.
The last time Morocco played host to the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1988 when Cameroon recorded a 1-0 win over Nigeria in the final.
Nigeria ready for any team
Meanwhile, former Super Eagles media officer Babafemi Raji is confident that the three-time African champions will make it out of whatever group they are drawn.
He told Legit.ng:
"I don't think we should think of avoiding any teams at the group stage. The harder they come the harder they fall.
"I also anticipate we'll have the kind of effect of the new manager we have in the person of Eric Sekou Chelle.
"That would also spur the team. There would be enough time to prepare, there would be international windows, and there would be World Cup qualifying games that would help the coach perfect his art.
Nigeria finished as runners-up at the last edition of the tournament after losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast. Raji believes the Super Eagles can go all the way in Morocco.
He added:
"Our ultimate goal is the trophy, we want to be champions of Africa again and this time we are gunning for our fourth title. So let's do it again"
Eric Chelle ready for Nigeria adventure
Legit.ng earlier reported that the newly appointed Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has disclosed that he can cop with the pressures that come with managing the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The 47-year-old Malian was recently announced as the new head coach of the Nigerian national team ahead of the return of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
He emphasised that his results will speak for him as he takes up the plum job, replacing ex-international Augustine Eguavoen who has been in charge of the team on a temporary basis.
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Source: Legit.ng
