AFCON 2025 Draw, Host Nation “Morocco “drawn in Group with Mali, Zambia, and Comoros

AFCON 2025 Draw, Host Nation “Morocco “drawn in Group with Mali, Zambia, and Comoros

Morocco, the 2022 World Cup semifinalist and the host nation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, has been drawn in a competitive group alongside Mali, Zambia, and Comoros The tournament is set to take place from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, marking a significant event in Moroccan football as it prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Morocco made history at the 2022 World Cup by becoming the first African nation to reach the semifinals, where they were eliminated by France.

The 2025 AFCON will be Morocco’s largest football tournament before the World Cup in 2030. The previous Africa Cup of Nations, held one year ago, saw Morocco unexpectedly eliminated by South Africa in the round of 16.

Ivory Coast, the host nation of the last Africa Cup, will begin their defense of the title in a group that includes Cameroon, Gabon, and Mozambique. Nigeria, the runner-up in the previous edition, will compete in a group with Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania, while Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, is drawn with South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe as they look to secure Salah’s first Africa Cup title at age 33.

Senegal, the reigning 2021 AFCON champion, will face Congo, Benin, and Botswana. Algeria, the 2019 champion, has been placed in a group with Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan.

Matches will be held across six cities in Morocco: Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Rabat, and Tangier. The tournament will begin in mid-December 2024 and conclude in January 2025, allowing players from European clubs to return in time for the resumption of the Champions League. Just months after, many of these players will compete in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with Africa securing nine direct spots in the expanded 48-team competition.

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