AFCON 2025: Key Dates, Format, Stadiums, Tickets and Full Guide To The Tournament

AFCON 2025: Key Dates, Format, Stadiums, Tickets and Full Guide To The Tournament

By BSN Sports 

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off in Morocco on 21 December 2025, with reigning champions Ivory Coast aiming to defend the title they claimed in dramatic fashion against Nigeria in February 2024.

Host Nation

Morocco will stage the tournament for the second time, having first hosted in 1988, when the Atlas Lions reached the semi-finals. Their return as hosts follows a turbulent bidding journey: Morocco had been awarded the 2015 tournament but withdrew amid concerns over the West African Ebola outbreak. The 2025 edition was initially assigned to Guinea, but the country was stripped of hosting rights in 2022 due to slow infrastructure progress. Morocco was officially confirmed as replacement host in September 2023.

Tournament Format

AFCON 2025 will feature 24 teams, maintaining the format introduced in 2019.

The structure includes:

Six groups of four teams

Top two teams from each group advancing to the Round of 16

The four best third-placed teams joining them, based on points, goal difference and goals scored.

Schedule

The tournament will run from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

Group Stage: 21–31 December 2025

Round of 16: 3–6 January 2026

Quarter-finals: 9–10 January 2026

Semi-finals: 14 January 2026

Third-Place Play-off: 17 January 2026

Final: 18 January 2026

Qualified Teams

All 24 qualifiers have previously appeared in the competition. Hosts Morocco participated in and topped their qualifying group despite automatic qualification. Tunisia extended their record streak to 17 consecutive appearances, while Ghana are the most notable absentees, finishing bottom of their group and missing the tournament for the first time since 2004.

Group Draw

Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros

Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe

Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania

Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana

Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan

Group F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

Kick-off Times

Morocco will operate on CET (GMT+1).

Group-stage matches will kick off at 13:00, 15:30, 18:30 and 20:00.

Knockout-stage fixtures will be played at 18:00 and 20:30, with the third-place match and final at 20:00.

Stadiums

AFCON 2025 will utilise nine venues across five major cities:

Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier – 75,000

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat – 68,700

Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca – 45,000

Fez Stadium, Fez – 45,000

Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh – 45,000

Adrar Stadium, Agadir – 45,000

Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat – 22,000

Rabat Olympic Stadium – 21,000

Al Barid Stadium, Rabat – 18,000

The Final

The final will be held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, the country’s largest AFCON venue. The stadium, newly opened in September 2025, was constructed on the site of its predecessor and will host seven tournament matches, including all of Morocco’s group games. It is also set to feature prominently during the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

Tickets

Tickets are available via the official AFCON ticketing portal. Fans must register and obtain a Fan ID to purchase. The final sales window opens on 21 November, offering the last batch of tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mascot and Match Ball

The official mascot is yet to be unveiled. The match ball, produced by Puma, is named “ITRI” and features geometric zellij patterns inspired by Moroccan design heritage.