The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Sunday in Morocco, which has invested over €870 million in its organization. The host nation is one of the favorites to win a tournament that will feature several familiar faces from Portuguese football.
Currently experiencing one of the most auspicious periods in its football history, Morocco is hosting a peculiar edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), due to the dates on which it is being held, and is considered one of the main favorites for the title. Even though, in this millennium, history hasn’t been particularly favorable to host countries. This year, the tournament will feature, initially, 17 players competing in Portugal, with Mozambique being the country that has recruited the most from our leagues.
Since 2000, in a total of 13 editions, only three countries have lifted the trophy playing on home soil. This happened with Tunisia (2004), Egypt (2006) and Ivory Coast, a year ago, thanks to a comeback in the final against Nigeria (2-1) , sealed by the inspiring Sébastien Haller .
It is primarily against this historical backdrop that the Moroccan national team, having just won the Arab Cup , will fight in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which for the first time will be played at the turn of the year to mitigate the latent conflict with European calendars, the point of origin for a large part of the players who will compete for the African national team championship trophy.
One of the main favorites to win it, especially after reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup ( not even Portugal escaped in this historic run of the Atlas Lions ), Morocco hosts the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time. The first time was 37 years ago, in which, led by striker Hassan, a former glory of Farense and Benfica, they reached the semi-finals.
Morocco’s main rivals in the race for the title include Egypt, the most successful nation in the competition with seven titles, Nigeria, and Senegal, without neglecting the potential of countries like Algeria, Ivory Coast, or Cameroon, despite all the turbulence surrounding the Indomitable Lions .
The stars and the =Portuguese= players of the Africa Cup of Nations.
True to tradition, the 2025 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is packed with talent, much of it honed in European football. Morocco, for example, has Bono (Al Hilal), Achraf Hakimi (PSG) and Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid) as the key figures in a team whose intensity is one of its main strengths.
In Egypt, Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Omar Marmoush (Manchester City) are the stars of the team, a status also enjoyed by Victor Osimhen (Nigeria), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Sadio Mané (Senegal) and Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon).
From the Portuguese leagues, 17 players are going to the Africa Cup of Nations, six of them to represent the Mozambique national team. Geny Catamo (Sporting) is the most prominent name on that list, followed by Diogo Calila (Santa Clara), Witi (Nacional), Kenys Abdala (Desp. Chaves), Kimiss Zavala (Marítimo) and Chamito (Académico de Viseu).
Zaidu (FC Porto) is included in Nigeria’s squad, Angola will have contributions from Jonathan Buatu (Gil Vicente), Pedro Bondo (Famalicão) and Beni Mukendi (Vitória), and Ivory Coast has called up Ousmane Diomande (Sporting) and Konan (Gil Vicente) for the tournament.
The remaining representatives of Portuguese football in the Africa Cup of Nations are Iyad Mohamed (Casa Pia) and Rémy Vita (Tondela), representing the Comoros Islands; Yaya Sithole (Tondela), representing South Africa; Dokou Dodo (Leixões), representing Benin; and Amadou Danté (Arouca), representing Mali. Sp. Braga defender Sekou Niakaté was also part of the Malian national team’s squad, selected by coach Éric Chelle, but will miss the tournament due to injury .
Significant investment in event organization.
The 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will be played in nine stadiums, located in the cities of Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir and Fez.
The opening match, on December 21st, and the final, on January 18th, will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, which has a capacity of 68,700 seats. Only the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, capable of holding 75,000 spectators, is larger.
Investment in infrastructure improvements has exceeded 870 million euros by Moroccan authorities, who plan to spend around two billion euros by 2030, the year the country hosts the final phase of the World Cup , in a joint organization with Portugal and Spain.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be contested by 24 countries. In the first phase, the participants are divided into six groups, each with four teams, with the top two teams from each group, as well as the four best third-placed teams from all groups, qualifying for the knockout phase.
In total, the tournament will feature 52 matches, which will be closely watched by Maisfutebol . Stay tuned.
The six groups of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations:
Group A
Morocco
Mali
Zambia
Comoros Islands
Group B
Angola
Egypt
South Africa
Zimbabwe.
Group C
Nigeria
Tanzania
Tunisia
Uganda
Group D
Benin
Botswana
Democratic Republic of Congo
Senegal.
Group E
Algeria
Burkina Faso
Equatorial Guinea
Sudan
Group F
Cameroon
Ivory Coast
Gabon
Mozambique.