The eagerly-anticipated Final Draw of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 will be held in Rabat on 27 January, 2025 where the 24 competing teams will learn their opponents.
The draw, to be attended by the 24 Nations that have qualified for the AFCON 2025, will be conducted at 19h00 local time (18h00 GMT/ 20h00 Cairo time).
The draw provides the National Teams with the opportunity to assess the excellent match venues, training facilities and hotel infrastructure in Morocco.
The 24 teams will be placed into six pools each containing four sides. The top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed sides advance to the round of 16.
Morocco will be hosing the finals for the first time since 1988 as we enter an exciting time for the North African nation, who are also co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup along with Spain and Portugal.
This will be the 35th edition of the AFCON, which was first played in 1957. It is the third oldest continental competition in football behind South America (1916) and Asia (1956).
The 24 teams that will be in the draw for the 2025 finals are as follows, with their previous appearances and best finish included:
Algeria (21st appearance, champions in 1990, 2019)
Angola (10th appearance, quarter-finalists in 2008, 2010, 2023)
Benin (5th appearance, quarter-finalists in 2019)
Botswana (2nd appearance, group stages in 2012)
Burkina Faso (14th appearance, runners-up in 2013)
Cameroon (22nd appearance, champions in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017)
Comoros (2nd appearance, round of 16 in 2021)
Cote d’Ivoire (26th appearance, champions in 1992, 2015, 2023)
Democratic Republic of Congo (21st appearance, champions in 1968, 1974)
Egypt (27th appearance, champions in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010)
Equatorial Guinea (5th appearance, fourth place in 2015)
Gabon (9th appearance, quarter-finalists in 1996, 2012)
Mali (14th appearance, runners-up in 1972)
Morocco (20th appearances, champions in 1976)
Mozambique (6th appearance, group stages in 1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, 2023)
Nigeria (21st appearance, champions in 1980, 1994, 2013)
Senegal (18th appearance, champions in 2021)
South Africa (12th appearance, champions in 1996)
Sudan (10th appearance, champions in 1970)
Tanzania (4th appearance, group stage in 1980, 2019, 2023)
Tunisia (22nd appearance, champions in 2004)
Uganda (8th appearance, runners-up in 1978)
Zambia (19th appearance, champions in 2012)
Zimbabwe (6th appearance, group stage in 2004, 2006, 2017, 2019, 2021).
Source: CAF
Shuaeeb Is a seasoned sportswriter, social worker, and philanthropist. He has been renowned for his support of disabled sports persons and championing for equal rights and opportunities for all sports persons. He is also a father of 4 children and married to His partner Moana who is of Australian descent. He currently does sports volunteering and disability support work aside from writing for this August media.
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