Essential Guide And Betting Insights – AFCON ’25

Football fans across Africa and beyond are counting down to December 21 when Morocco hosts the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament will go on until the 18th of January 2026 and is expected to be super exciting. For expert analysis and predictions for each game at the tournament, get familiar with some betting tips.

Tournament Details and Qualified Teams

The tournament was rescheduled to December to accommodate FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup and avoid extreme weather conditions, making it the first AFCON tournament which will be played during the Christmas/New Year period.

Venue Information

The competition will utilise nine stadiums across six cities:
Rabat
Casablanca
Tangier
Marrakech
Fes
Agadir

Qualified Nations

All 24 qualified teams have previous AFCON experience, though some are returning after extended absences. Notable qualifiers include:
Côte d’Ivoire (defending champions)
Egypt (record seven-time winners)
Senegal (2021 champions)
Nigeria (2023 finalist)
Morocco (highest-ranked African nation)
Botswana returns after 12 years, while Ghana failed to qualify for the first time since 2004.

Tournament Format and Title Contenders

The 24 teams are divided into six groups of four. The top two teams from each group automatically advance to the round of 16. Then there’s a second chance for four best third-placed teams.

Leading Favourites

With odds around 5/2, Morocco enters as the tournament favourite. And that’s not very surprising. They have home advantage, are ranked 11th in the world, and made history in 2022 by becoming the first African nation to reach the semi finals of the World Cup after they knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Egypt remains a formidable force led by Mo Salah, who’s joint-favourite for top scorer at 6/1 alongside Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen.

Speaking of Nigeria, they boast a star-studded team all round and Senegal brings a well-drilled squad featuring Sadio Mané. Algeria and Cameroon also cannot be overlooked given their pedigree.